The Inspector nodded feelingly. ‘I know what you mean. What about the young one? Cross-grained-looking chap, I thought.’

‘Mr Stephen Herriard,’ said Sturry, ‘is not a gentleman with whom I could ever contemplate taking service. Mr Stephen’s temper is quite as violent as his late uncle’s, and although I would not wish to imply that he is not Quite the Gentleman, he is careless of appearances to a degree which I could not bring myself to overlook. He has, moreover, become engaged to a young lady who will not, in my opinion, Do for Lexham Manor.’ He paused, fixing the Inspector with a basilisk eye. ‘I could not, in any case, reconcile it with my conscience to serve any gentleman who had been on such inimical terms with the late Mr Herriard,’ he said.

Here it comes at last! thought the Inspector. ‘I’d heard that they quarrelled a good bit,’ he said. ‘Bad, was it?’

Sturry closed his eyes for an expressive moment. ‘At times, Inspector, it has been what I should call Shocking, both Mr Stephen and Mr Herriard raising their voices in a manner very unbecoming to their stations, and not caring who might be within hearing. Indeed, upon one occasion Mr Stephen had Words with his uncle in front of the Tweeny.’

The enormity of this did not, perhaps, impress the Inspector as forcibly as it was meant to, but he looked shocked, and said he wondered why Stephen came to Lexham so often.

‘If you were to ask me, Inspector,’ said Sturry, ‘I should say that both Mr Stephen and Miss Paula came for what they could get out of the late Mr Herriard.’

‘Is Stephen Herriard the heir?’

‘That, Inspector, I could not take it upon myself to say, not being in the late Mr Herriard’s confidence. It is generally believed in the Hall that he is, Mr Herriard having had an unaccountable fondness for him. But there has been a good deal of unpleasantness lately over Mr Stephen’s Unfortunate Entanglement, Mr Herriard having taken exception to Miss Dean in a way one cannot wonder at. There was Quite a Scene between them after lunch.’

‘About Miss Dean?’

‘I could not say, I am sure,’ said Sturry primly. ‘But when I was about to enter the drawing-room this evening with the cocktail-tray, I heard Mr Herriard shout at Mr Stephen that he was quite as bad as his sister, and that it was the last time either of them should come to Lexham.’

‘Is that so?’ said the Inspector, very much on the alert. ‘He was quarrelling with Miss Herriard too, was he?’

‘Mr Herriard was in general very indulgent with Miss Paula,’ said Sturry. ‘Though I have reason to believe that he looked with disfavour upon her connection with the stage. But Miss Paula most regrettably brought down with her to spend Christmas a Person of the name of Roydon.’

The Inspector knew what this method of referring to Roydon implied, and was inclined to sympathise with Sturry. ‘He didn’t like Roydon?’