"You're rather familiar with accidents that result in death to girls, aren't you? Do you always run away when one of them dies?"
"Object," yelled Belknap, leaping to his feet.
"Objection sustained," called Oberwaltzer sharply. "There is nothing before this court concerning any other accident. The prosecution will confine itself more closely to the case in hand."
"Griffiths," went on Mason, pleased with the way he had made a return to Jephson for his apology for the Kansas City accident, "when that boat upset after that accidental blow of yours and you and Miss Alden fell into the water—how far apart were you?"
"Well, I didn't notice just then."
"Pretty close, weren't you? Not much more than a foot or two, surely—the way you stood there in the boat?"
"Well, I didn't notice. Maybe that, yes, sir."
"Close enough to have grabbed her and hung on to her if you had wanted to, weren't you? That's what you jumped up for, wasn't it, when she started to fall out?"
"Yes, that's what I jumped up for," replied Clyde heavily, "but I wasn't close enough to grab her. I know I went right under, and when I came up she was some little distance away."
"Well, how far exactly? As far as from here to this end of the jury box or that end, or half way, or what?"