“Oh, shut up!” Charmian interrupted.
“No, do let him go on, Char!” begged Aubrey. “Whenever anyone says far be it from him to do something it means he’s going to do it, and I should simply love to hear who it is Eugene’s going to accuse!”
“All I wish to point out,” said Eugene, “is that if we are to ask ourselves who stands to gain the most out of Father’s death there can be only one answer.”
“But how beautifully put!” Aubrey said admiringly. “You couldn’t call it actually offensive, could you?”
Raymond looked grimly at Eugene. “If you and your wife hadn’t sponged for years on Father, you’d have been a bigger gainer today than you are! You can put that in your pipe and smoke it!”
This remark made Vivian flare up at once. She demanded to be told in what way Eugene could be considered to be any more to blame for the wasting of Penhallow’s fortune than any of his brothers; and added that for her part she had always hated Penhallow, and would rather have gone out charring than have subsisted on his generosity.
“Let me advise you,” said Charmian, “not to be quite lavish with your abuse of Father, my good young woman! Your position is not so unassailable that you can afford to make it worse.”
“I know very well you think I poisoned your father, any way I don’t care what you think, any of you!” declared Vivian, shaking with indignation. “If I’d thought of it, I would have!”
“Now, that’ll do!” said Clara. “It was Jimmy killed Adam, whatever Char and Ray may say, and so we shall find, you mark my words!”
By tea-time it had been established that Penhallon had died from swallowing an overdose of veronal; and Inspector Logan had learnt from Phineas Ottery that he had visited Trevellin to consult Penhallow on a small matter of business connected with house-property. “My nephew, Raymond Penhallow, will bear me out that my errand to Mr Penhallow was of the most trifling nature,” had said Phineas, with a wave of his hand. “He was present during a considerable part of the interview, so you may see for yourself, Inspector, that there was nothing particularly secret about it. Merely, I did not wish to admit the whole family into my confidence.”