While the detective was at heart glad to thus have the character of a fellow-being sustained, he yet was greatly dissatisfied on hearing so positive a reply, for it tended anew to upset theories built up as being the only ones tenable.
Masking his real feelings in the case, he took another tack, and said:
“Mr. Field was married, they tell me?”
“He was.”
“You knew his wife?”
“I did.”
“She was a lady?”
“In every sense of the word, sir.”
“Mr. Field used her badly?”
“He did, sir, in a way. But he never struck her or did anything bad in that way.”