The effect of this accusation was not quite what Cook had expected. Baker's jaw dropped; he repeated in a dazed voice: "Five hundred pounds?"
"Well? Didn't you?"
"Five hundred - pounds?" said Baker again. "What the hell do you take me for? Here, I've had enough of your insults! You clear out of this! Five hundred pounds my foot! I suppose that's what the stinking swine told you? Well, you can damned well tell him from me that he's a bloody liar! And if you think I'd make capital out of my sister's shame, you're as big a bastard as he is!"
"Careful, now! Are you denying you went to Palings to get money out of Mr. Carter?"
"I never mentioned five hundred pounds, nor nothing like it! But when a man in his position, fair reeking of money, and old enough to be the girl's father, God damn his soul, gets a poor girl into trouble, he's got to help her, or I'll know the reason why! Oh, it's all very nice and easy for them as has money to burn, but what about them as hasn't? Who's going to support Carter's brat, that's what I'm asking you? Isn't it only justice he should pay for what he done to my sister? What would five bob a week mean to the likes of him? You answer me that, and then say I've been blackmailing the swine!"
"Leaving alone, for the moment., how much you tried to get out of him," said the Inspector, looking very hard at him, "you didn't find him willing to pay, did you?"
"No one," said Baker, somewhat obscurely, "is going to make out my sister's no better than a common streetwalker!"
"Oh! So Mr. Carter had his doubts, had he? He didn't see why he should pay for what he suspected wasn't his? Now we're getting at it, aren't we?"
"I'll make him provide for Gladys, if it's the last thing I do!" retorted Baker.
"But," said the Inspector, "he refused to pay, didn't he?"