“Death by misadventure,” said Christopher slowly, and without much conviction.
“H’m! There’s the question of contributory negligence, or worse. Did you see anything of Harter that evening?”
“Not much. Do you mean that he was the worse for drink?”
“Between ourselves, Chris, the fellow had undoubtedly been drinking, but as far as I could tell he was all right when he left the house.”
“Then I can’t for the life of me understand how it happened. The ground was dry, there was no possibility of a skid, and nothing coming towards them in the road, to give any possible reason for a swerve.”
“The steering gear?”
“Nothing the matter with it. I was there when the men righted the car. They looked to see.”
“The chief evidence, beside that of Mrs. Kendal, who actually witnessed the whole thing, will be Mrs. Harter’s, then?”
“Good Lord, are they going to make her give evidence?”
“How can they help it? She, and Harter himself, are the survivors of the accident.”