"No. But I am certain that you are familiar with her."
"Are you, indeed?" said Ferdy, in an aggravating tone, "and on what grounds, since you are so clever?"
Clarice leaned forward. "I heard Zara say to you immediately after the inquest that, as Osip was accused, there could be no danger."
This time Ferdy was startled. He dropped his cigarette and bent down to pick it up, and to hide the sudden rush of colour which came to his cheeks. "Did you hear anything else?" he asked, hesitating.
"No. But I want to know the meaning of the sentence I did hear."
Ferdy rose and paced the drawing-room, shrugging his shoulders. "What an inquisitive girl you are," he said, carelessly. "Zara only meant that as Osip was accused, there would be no danger of any other murder being committed."
This sounded a plausible enough explanation, yet Clarice doubted its truth. "That is not the meaning," she said, impetuously.
"What is the meaning, then?" asked Ferdy, sharply.
"I don't know, unless she meant that you were free from danger."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Ferdy, angrily, and dropped his cigarette again. "Do you think that I have anything to do with the death of Uncle Henry?"