Judge Carver’s gavel fell with a crash. “That is an entirely uncalled for conclusion, Mr. Thorne. It may be stricken from the record.”
“Kindly reply to my question, Mr. Thorne. Would you not do anything in order to secure your sister’s happiness?”
“No.”
Once more Sue Ives’s smile flew like a banner.
“Mr. Thorne, did your sister ever speak to you about her first two or three years in New York?”
“I have a vague general impression that we discussed certain aspects of it, such as living conditions there at the time, and——”
“Vague general impressions aren’t what we want. You have no specific knowledge of where they were or what they were doing at the time?”
“I can recall nothing at the moment.”
“Your sister, to whom you are so devoted, never once communicated with you during that time?”
“I received a letter from her about a week after she left Rosemont, stating that she thought that for the time being it would be better to sever all connections with Rosemont, but that her affection for all of us was unchanged.”