"No, not a quarrel. I don't say there might not have been a quarrel had the circumstances been rather different, for I had cause to feel considerable annoyance with Sir Arthur. But my being a guest in his house put me into an awkward position. One doesn't quarrel with a man under his own roof."
"Was your disagreement of a serious nature, Mr. Halliday?"
Halliday gave a quick, mirthless smile. "Well, that is rather difficult to answer, Inspector. The contretemps concerns my private affairs, and I should prefer not to take you into them. I can only say that it made me determined not to accept another invitation to stay with Sir Arthur."
"Did the interview become heated?" inquired Harding."Not on my side, I hope. Ah, you are thinking of Finch's somewhat exaggerated statement! He, I believe told the Superintendent that he had overheard me having a violent row with Sir Arthur. I'm afraid that was a highly coloured version of what actually occurred , though I must admit that I had to raise my voice to make myself heard. Sir Arthur had a habit of shouting when he was at all put out, as I dare say you've been told."
"What you had to say to Sir Arthur, then, had the effect of angering him?"
"Oh, very much!" replied Halliday with a short laugh. "Sir Arthur did not like finding himself in the wrong any more than most people do."
Harding drew his pocket-book out and opened it. Hadliday shot one quick glance at it, and fixed his eyes on Harding's face again. "Do you know anything about this, Mr. Halliday?" asked Harding, arranging the four torn quarters of the General's cheque.
Halliday's right hand clenched on the chair-arm, and relaxed again. It was a moment before he answered, and then he said carefully: "I do, Inspector. I am sorry you found that cheque. You'll understand why I didn't wish to tell you what I went to see Sir Arthur about."
"Perfectly," said Harding, and waited.
"I suppose I had better tell you exactly what happened," Halliday said. "My quarrel with Sir Arthur was purely on account of that cheque. Sir Arthur had been paying my wife a great many unwelcome attentions during our stay. I can best describe his attitude as pseudo-fatherly. You probably know what I mean. It made it very difficult for my wife to choke him off. Yesterday morning he pressed that cheque on her with a lot of talk about wanting to make her a little present. She tried, of course, to make him understand that it was quite impossible for her to accept such a thing, but he made it extremely awkward for her, and in the end she gave it up, and instead came at once to consult me. Naturally, I — '