"But, father, she couldn't know him without my seeing it. I'm at the house nearly every day. The mother, you know."
"Apparently your eyes aren't sharp enough. You should take a lesson from your uncle Sim."
"But, father, I don't understand—"
"Then I'll tell you. It seems that Claude has known this girl for the past four or five months—"
"Oh no, no! That's all wrong. It isn't three months since I talked to Claude about her. Claude didn't even remember they had a girl. He'd forgotten it."
"I know what I'm talking about, Thor. Don't contradict. Seems your uncle Sim has had his eye on them all along."
Thor smote his side with his clenched fist. "There's some mistake, father. It can't be."
"I wish there was a mistake, Thor. But there isn't. If I could afford it I should send Claude abroad. Send him round the world. But I can't just now, with this mix-up in the business. There's no doubt but that the girl is bad—"
"Father!"
If Masterman had been looking up he would have seen the convulsion of pain on his son's face, and got some inkling of his state of mind.