“I have only been there once, some time ago,” said she, “and I saw no gold at all.”
“Guarded,” I observed. “I beg your pardon; I mean that perhaps you only saw what you were allowed to see. And, in any case, the Fräulein has no expert knowledge and no responsibility, and, perhaps, no shares. Her province is to be charming, not to hold financial secrets.”
“I have done my best to help you,” said the stepmother.
“They’re all against us, Davies.”
“Oh, chuck it, Carruthers!” said Davies, in English.
“He’s insatiable,” said von Brüning, and there was a pause; clearly, they meant to elicit more.
“Well, I shall draw my own conclusions,” I said.
“This is interesting,” said von Brüning, “in what sense?”
“It begins to dawn on me that you made fools of us at Bensersiel. Don’t you remember, Davies, what an interest he took in all our doings? I wonder if he feared our exploring propensities might possibly lead us to Memmert?”
“Upon my word, this is the blackest ingratitude. I thought I made myself particularly agreeable to you.”