“Why, man, I'd have given . . .” Silverdale broke out. Then he stopped short in mid-sentence. “It's my candid opinion, as you put it,” he ended tamely.
Flamborough, it seemed, had extracted the information he wanted. He left the subject and took up a fresh one.
“Do you recall anything important which happened in the year 1925?”
“Yes, I left London and took up my post here.”
“You were married in 1923, weren't you?”
“Yes.”
“Had your wife any relations in this country? She was French, wasn't she?”
“She had a brother, Octave Renard, who was in business in London. Still is, as a matter of fact. An old aunt is the only other relation I know of.”
“Before you left London, had you any difficulties with Mrs. Silverdale—I mean anything like young Hassendean?”
“Nothing that came to my notice,” Silverdale answered, after consulting his memory.