"I know very little about such matters."
"As an investment, it would to-day be paying a moderate dividend."
"My father had to sell again at a big loss."
"It sounds very like speculation."
"Possibly."
"I'm very sorry to hear of the loss; but a man who speculates in the stock market must look out for himself. It's a risky game for the outsider to play."
Elaine silently recognized the truth of his words. Then it came to her suddenly that Rivière had, a few moments ago, used the word "sister-in-law," and she said: "I was forgetting that Mr Matheson must be a relative of yours."
"My half-brother."
She looked at him with a searching frankness that was in its way a tacit compliment. He was radically different to the mental picture she had formed of the financier.
He continued: "The lady you saw in the train was my sister-in-law. As you already know, she expects me to join her at Monte Carlo. I don't want to be drawn into that kind of life. I want to remain quiet. I have important work to do."