"We'll start with a talk you had with Geoffrey Billington-Smith on Saturday, outside Miss de Silva's bedroom door. Is it a fact that he threatened to do something desperate if his father interfered between him and Miss de Silva?"
"That," commented Dinah, "sounds to me like that ass of a housemaid, Dawson. I wonder where she was lurking?"
"Never mind about the ass of a housemaid," said Harding, with the hint of a smile in his eyes. "Did he say something to that effect?"
"Yes — a lot of dramatic stuff. I've noticed that ineffectual people usually do go in for highfalutin threats."
"Is he ineffectual?"
"Ghastly. No guts at all," said Miss Fawcett elegantly. "So I inferred. At the same time, he's undoubtedly very emotional. Isn't that so?"
"Yes, but it's the sort of emotionalism that raves instead of doing anything. I've no use for Geoffrey, but I honestly don't think he killed Arthur, Mr. Harding."
"We'll hope not, anyway. Now about this week-end party: was the atmosphere very thunderous?"
"Rather! It always is when Arthur's on the rampage."
"Did he take it out of your sister?"