‘Yes, she is rather. At least, she’s had one or two lately. I’m a bit worried about them. I want her to see an oculist, but she doesn’t like the idea of wearing glasses.’

‘It may not be the eyes.’

‘Oh, I think it is. Painters often strain their eyes, you know.’

‘Did you sleep comfortably?’

‘Me?’ Pilgrim turned to Alleyn with an air of bewilderment. ‘Oh, I always sleep like a log.’

‘How far is Ankerton Manor from here, Mr Pilgrim?’

‘Eighty-five miles by my speedometer. I took a note of it.’

‘So you had a run of seventy-three miles from Boxover on Saturday?’

‘That’s the idea, sir.’

‘Right. Now about this unfortunate girl. Can you let any light in on the subject?’

‘Afraid I can’t. It’s a damn bad show. I feel rotten about it.’

‘Why?’

‘Well, wouldn’t anybody? It’s a foul thing to happen, isn’t it?’

‘Oh, yes—perfectly abominable. I meant had you any personal reason for feeling rotten about it?’

‘Not more than any of the others,’ said Pilgrim, after a pause.

‘Is that quite true, Mr Pilgrim?’

‘What do you mean?’ Again he looked from Alleyn to Fox. He had gone very white.

‘I mean this. Had Sonia Gluck no closer link with you than with the rest of the class?’

If Pilgrim had been restless before, he was now very still. He stared straight in front of him, his lips parted, and his brows slightly raised.

‘I see I shall have to make a clean breast of it,’ he said at last.

‘I think you would be wise to do so.’

‘It’s got nothing to do with this business,’ he said. ‘Unless Garcia knew and was furious about it. My God, I don’t know what put you on to this, but I’m not sure it won’t be a relief to talk about it. Ever since this morning when she was killed, I’ve been thinking of it. I’d have told you at once if I’d thought it had any bearing on the case, but I—I didn’t want Valmai to know. It happened three months ago. Before I met Valmai. I was at a studio party in Bloomsbury and she —Sonia—was there. Everyone got pretty tight. She asked me to driveher back to her room and then she asked me if I wouldn’t come in for a minute. Well—I did. It was the only time. I got a damned unpleasant surprise when I found she was the model here. I didn’t say anything to her and she didn’t say anything to me. That’s all.’

‘What about the child?’ asked Alleyn.

‘God! Then she did tell somebody?’

‘She told you, at all events.’