‘Well, I mean, not all the time. I mean he didn’t stay with us, but he came to lunch and tea—and dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. Of course he is rough, and he does speak badly, but I told Auntie he can’t help that because everybody’s like that in Australia. Some of the others were pretty stinking to him too, you know. They made him feel dreadfully out of it. I was sorry for him, and I thought they were such snobs. And anyway, I think his work is frightfully exciting.’

‘Where did he stay?’

‘At a private hotel near us, in the Fulham Road. We went to the flicks on Saturday night. Oh, I told you that, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, thank you. When you go back to the dining-room, will you ask Mr Hatchett to come and see me in ten minutes’ time?’

‘Yes, I will.’

She got up and gazed at Alleyn. He saw a sort of corpse-side expression come into her face.

‘Oh, Mr Alleyn,’ she said, ‘isn’t it all awful?‘

‘Quite frightful,’ responded Alleyn cheerfully. ‘Good evening, Miss Lee.’

She walked away with an air of bereavement, and shut the door softly behind her.

‘Oy!’ said Nigel from the armchair.

‘Hullo!’

‘I’m moving over to the fire till the next one comes along. It’s cold in this corner.’

‘All right.’

Fox, who had remained silently at the writing-desk throughout the interview with Miss Lee, joined Alleyn and Nigel at the fire.

‘That was a quaint little piece of Staffordshire,’ said Nigel.

‘Little simpleton! All that pseudo-modern nonsense! See here, Bathgate, you’re one of the young intelligentsia, aren’t you?’

‘What do you mean? I’m a pressman.’

‘That doesn’t actually preclude you from the intelligentsia, does it?’

‘Of course it doesn’t.’

‘Very well then. Can you tell me how much of this owlishness is based on experience, and how much on handbooks and hearsay?’

‘You mean their ideas on sex?’

‘I do.’

‘Have they been shocking you, Inspector?’

‘I find their conversation bewildering, I must confess.’

‘Come off it,’ said Nigel.

‘What do you think, Fox?’ asked Alleyn.

‘Well, sir, I must say I thought they spoke very free round the dining-room table. All this talk about mistresses and appetites and so forth. Very free. Not much difference between their ways and the sort of folk we used to deal with down in the black divisions if you’re to believe what you hear. Only the criminal classes are just promiscuous without being able to make it sound intellectual, if you know what I mean. Though I must say,’ continued Fox thoughtfully, ‘I don’t fancy this crowd is as free-living as they’d like us to believe. This young lady, now. She seems like a nice little girl from a good home, making out she’s something fierce.’

‘I know,’ agreed Alleyn. ‘Little donkey.’