"Tchigorsky! Dr. Tchigorsky! Do you really mean that?"
The smooth, velvety voice had risen to a hoarse scream. Disappointment, joy, relief danced across the woman's gleaming eyes. For the moment she seemed to forget that she had a companion.
"What a dreadful thing!" she said, catching her natural voice again. "How did it happen?"
Geoffrey gave her the details without flinching.
"It was a bit of shock for us," he said, "but we are accustomed to them. Of course it will be brought in that the poor fellow met with an accident, but there is not the slightest doubt that the poor fellow was murdered."
"Murdered! Why should you say that?"
"I don't know. Of course I have no evidence. But Tchigorsky chose to interest himself in our affairs, and he has paid the penalty. That was exactly what Marion said when she saw the body."
"So that poor child actually saw the corpse! How terrible!"
"Marion did not seem to mind. She is small and slender, but has courage and resolution."
Mrs. May nodded. She had received information that was a long way from being distasteful to her. She plied Geoffrey with questions as to what Tchigorsky had said and done, but Geoffrey evaded them all. Tchigorsky had said nothing; he had hinted vaguely at what he was going to do.