‘Yes, I did,’ she answered. ‘That is to say, he caught me up on the stairs.’

‘Caught you up?’

‘Yes, he went first to put a step-ladder in the billiard-room, out of harm’s way.’

The Inspector’s eyes were very bright. ‘Did he, miss? Was Mr Nathaniel Herriard anywhere about at that moment?’

‘He had just gone up to his room.’

‘Did you see him go?’

‘Yes, certainly I did,’ she said, a little puzzled.

‘Where were you, miss?’

‘In the hall. Actually, standing in the doorway of this very room. I was enjoying a quiet cigarette in here after the somewhat strenuous time we’d been through over Mr Roydon’s play. The rest of the party had gone up to change, I think. Then I heard Nathaniel and Joseph Herriard come out of the drawing-room together.’

‘Go on, if you please, miss. What were they doing?’

‘Quarrelling. Well, no, that’s not quite fair. Mr Herriard was still very angry about the play, and – and one thing and another, and Mr Joseph Herriard was doing his best to smooth him down.’

‘Did he succeed?’

‘No, far from it. I heard Mr Herriard tell him not to come upstairs with him, because he didn’t want him. Then he fell over the step-ladder.’ A tiny chuckle escaped her. She said remorsefully: ‘I’m sorry: I ought not to laugh, but it really was funny.’

‘Where was this step-ladder?’ asked Hemingway.

‘On the first half-landing. Joseph had left it there, and – well, it was just the last straw, as far as Nathaniel was concerned, because he didn’t like having paper-streamers hung up all over the house, and the wretched steps tripped him up. I don’t quite know how: Joseph said he knocked them over on purpose, and I must admit it would have been quite like Nathaniel to have done so.’

‘Did you actually see this happen, miss?’

‘No; I heard the crash of the steps, and I came out into the hall to see what was going on.’

‘Well, miss? What was going on?’

She regarded him with a crease between her brows. ‘I don’t quite understand, Mr Joseph Herriard was helping his brother up from his knees, and trying to apologise for having left the steps in such a stupid place.’

‘And Mr Herriard?’

‘Well, he was very angry.’

‘Did he say anything?’

‘Yes; he told Joseph to take the decorations down, and said he was a clumsy jackass.’

‘Did he appear to you to have been hurt by the fall?’

‘I don’t know. To tell you the truth, he had a way of pretending that he was practically crippled with lumbago whenever anything happened to annoy him, and he certainly did clap his hand to the small of his back, and –’ Her voice faltered all at once, and she gave a little gasp, and clutched at a chair-back. ‘Inspector, what are you asking me all these questions for? You surely don’t mean – But such a thing isn’t possible!’

Stephen, whose eyes had been fixed on her face throughout, said harshly: ‘Never mind that! Go on, Mathilda! What happened next?’