‘I needn’t tell you the significance of this,’ said Alleyn, slowly. ‘You are absolutely certain the drape was in position?’

‘Yes. I’d swear to it.’

‘And did you look at the portrait of Miss Seacliff?’

Troy turned her face away from him.

‘No,’ she said gruffly, ‘I funked it. Poor sort of business, wasn’t it?’ She laughed shortly.

Alleyn made a quick movement, stopped himself, and said: ‘I don’t think so. Did either of you go down to the studio at any time during yesterday, do you know?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t think so. I didn’t, and Katti had an article to do for The Palette and was writing in the library all day. She’s got a series of articles on the Italian primitives running in The Palette. You’d better ask her about yesterday.’

‘I will. To return to your own movements. You went out to paint in the garden?’

‘Yes. At eleven o’clock. The Bossicote church bell had just stopped. I worked till about two o’clock and came in for a late lunch. After lunch I cleaned up my brushes at the house. I hadn’t gone to the studio. Katti and I had a good glare at my sketch, and then she read over her article and began to type it. I sat in here, working out an idea for a decorative panel on odd bits of paper. Seacliff and Pilgrim arrived in his car for tea at five, and the others came by the six o’clock bus.’

‘Sonia Gluck with them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you all spend the evening together?’

‘The class has a sort of common-room at the back of the house. In my grandfather’s day it was really a kind of ballroom, but when my father lost most of his money, part of the house was shut up, including this place. I had a lot of odds and ends of furniture put into it and let them use it. It’s behind the dining-room, at the end of an odd little passage. They all went in there after dinner on Sunday—yesterday—evening. I looked in for a little while.’

‘They were all there?’

‘I think so. Pilgrim and Seacliff wandered out through the french window into the garden. I suppose they wanted to enjoy the amenities of betrothal.’

Alleyn laughed unexpectedly. He had a very pleasant laugh.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Troy.

‘“The amenities of betrothal,”’ quoted Alleyn.

‘Well, what’s wrong with that?’

‘Such a grand little phrase!’

For a moment there was no constraint between them. They looked at each other as if they were old friends.