"But the day she was drowned in Big Bittern, in this solid, round-bottomed row boat, you didn't care for her any more."
"Well, I've said how I felt then."
"And of course there couldn't be any relation between the fact that on Crum Lake you cared for her but on Big Bittern——"
"I said how I felt then."
"But you wanted to get rid of her just the same, didn't you? The moment she was dead to run away to that other girl. You don't deny that, do you?"
"I've explained why I did that," reiterated Clyde.
"Explained! Explained! And you expect any fair-minded, decent, intelligent person to believe that explanation, do you?" Mason was fairly beside himself with rage and Clyde did not venture to comment as to that. The Judge anticipated Jephson's objection to this and bellowed, "Objection sustained." But Mason went right on. "You couldn't have been just a little careless, could you, Griffiths, in the handling of the boat and upset it yourself, say?" He drew near and leered.
"No, sir, I wasn't careless. It was an accident that I couldn't avoid." Clyde was quite cool, though pale and tired.
"An accident. Like that other accident out there in Kansas City, for instance. You're rather familiar with accidents of that kind, aren't you, Griffiths?" queried Mason sneeringly and slowly.
"I've explained how that happened," replied Clyde nervously.