“On my honor,” Steventon repeated, “it is the truth.”
She looked at them, carefully considering her next words, before she spoke again.
“You both drew the lot to stay in the huts,” she said, addressing Crayford and Steventon. “And you are both here. Richard Wardour drew the lot to stay, and Richard Wardour is not here. How does his name come to be with Frank’s on the list of the missing?”
The question was a dangerous one to answer. Steventon left it to Crayford to reply. Once again he answered evasively.
“It doesn’t follow, my dear,” he said, “that the two men were missing together because their names happen to come together on the list.”
Clara instantly drew the inevitable conclusion from that ill-considered reply.
“Frank is missing from the party of relief,” she said. “Am I to understand that Wardour is missing from the huts?”
Both Crayford and Steventon hesitated. Mrs. Crayford cast one indignant look at them, and told the necessary lie, without a moment’s hesitation!
“Yes!” she said. “Wardour is missing from the huts.”
Quickly as she had spoken, she had still spoken too late. Clara had noticed the momentary hesitation on the part of the two officers. She turned to Steventon.