Mrs. Lancaster's eyes were now smouldering.
"Once more," she was saying, "you seem to have made a pretty mess of it."
With a slight gesture of weariness her husband replied: "Bullard was in charge, and I suppose he did his best."
"I am beginning to lose faith in Mr. Bullard. You and he had a great opportunity yesterday of learning definitely Christopher Craig's intentions regarding his diamonds, and now you come home with a rambling story about a crazy clock that's going to stop goodness knows when."
"Get Bullard to explain it to you, Carlotta. I'm dead beat. Two nights running in the train—"
Cutting him short, she continued—"You tell me that old Christopher is in a weak state physically and, you suspect, mentally. In these circumstances you ought surely to have been able to do two things—convince him of his nephew's death and—"
"He is wholly convinced that Alan will yet turn up. I can't understand—"
"Alan Craig will never turn up! Can't you take Mr. Bullard's word for that?"
"Bullard was not with the Expedition—"
She made a movement of impatience. "Well you ought to have gained Christopher's confidence as to the other matter. Why on earth didn't you find out what your share is going to be?"