Sir George did mind, but convention demanded that he should pretend to his guest that he did not.
“Gosford won’t thank us,” was the length of the protest he offered. “We may give the thing a bump that will bring it to pieces.”
“I do not want to shove it right over,” explained Crewe. “If we can get it on its side so that I can have a look at it inside I will be satisfied.”
Sir George’s contribution to the task turned the scale. Slowly the car was raised until it rested on its right side. Crewe bent down and inspected the inside of the car and the driver’s seat.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ve got all I want.”
“And what is that you wanted?” demanded Sir George, in astonishment.
“Several things,” said Crewe. “I wanted to get an idea of when the accident took place.”
“How on earth could you expect to tell that?” asked Sir George.
“By the state of the car—outside and inside. The way the mud is splashed on the outside indicates that the car was out in last night’s storm. The wet state of the cushions inside showed that rain had fallen on them—they must have got wet before the car capsized.”
“Extremely interesting,” said Sir George. “I’d never have thought of these things. Perhaps you can tell how many people were in the car at the time.”