“Never did hit it off with the old man, you know. It struck me lately that things were worse between them than usual. And then there’s this extraordinary busing, about his trying to strangle Father! Upon my word Char, I could hardly believe it! I don’t hold any brief for Ray, but I honestly didn’t think he was as bad as that. Seems to me a perfectly astonishing affair.”
“Yes,” Charmian agreed thoughtfully. “I wonder what Father did to make him lose his temper to that extent?”
“Oh, some row about money! They’ve had any number.”
“I know that. But they never ended in that kind of a scene before. I can’t help feeling that there’s something very odd behind it.”
“Connected with Uncle Phin?”
“That I can’t make up my mind about.”
“Frightful thing if it was Ray,” Ingram remarked, in rather an unconvincing tone.
Charmian disliked blatant insincerity, and said at once: “It would suit your book all right, wouldn’t it?”
“Now, look here, Char!” expostulated Ingram, reddening. “That’s a poisonous thing to say! I don’t pretend that I’ve ever got on with Ray, but I call it a bit thick to insinuate…”
“I wasn’t insinuating. You can’t stand Ray at any price, and he can’t stand you. You probably think you’d make a better head of the family than he will, and you know darned well that life won’t be nearly so easy for you now he’s holding the purse-strings.”