He stepped out of the Pavilion and made his way slowly back to the house. Although it was past working hours, old Briggs, the gardener, was putting in a little work on a flower bed and he straightened up as the Inspector passed.

‘You work late hours,’ said Kelsey, smiling.

‘Ah,’ said Briggs. ‘Young ’uns don’t know what gardening is. Come on at eight and knock off at five—that’s what they think it is. You’ve got to study your weather, some days you might as well not be out in the garden at all, and there’s other days as you can work from seven in the morning until eight at night. That is if you love the place and have pride in the look of it.’

‘You ought to be proud of this one,’ said Kelsey. ‘I’ve never seen any place better kept these days.’

‘These days is right,’ said Briggs. ‘But I’m lucky I am. I’ve got a strong young fellow to work for me. A couple of boys, too, but they’re not much good. Most of these boys and young men won’t come and do this sort of work. All for going into factories, they are, or white collars and working in an office. Don’t like to get their hands soiled with a bit of honest earth. But I’m lucky, as I say. I’ve got a good man working for me as come and offered himself.’

‘Recently?’ said Inspector Kelsey.

‘Beginning of the term,’ said Briggs. ‘Adam, his name is. Adam Goodman.’

‘I don’t think I’ve seen him about,’ said Kelsey.

‘Asked for the day off today, he did,’ said Briggs. ‘I give it him. Didn’t seem to be much doing today with you people tramping all over the place.’

‘Somebody should have told me about him,’ said Kelsey sharply.

‘What do you mean, told you about him?’

‘He’s not on my list,’ said the Inspector. ‘Of people employed here, I mean.’

‘Oh, well, you can see him tomorrow, mister,’ said Briggs. ‘Not that he can tell you anything, I don’t suppose.’

‘You never know,’ said the Inspector.

A strong young man who had offered himself at the beginning of the term? It seemed to Kelsey that here was the first thing that he had come across which might be a little out of the ordinary.

IV

The girls filed into the hall for prayers that evening as usual, and afterwards Miss Bulstrode arrested their departure by raising her hand.

‘I have something to say to you all. Miss Springer, as you know, was shot last night in the Sports Pavilion. If any of you has heard or seen anything in the past week—anything that has puzzled you relating to Miss Springer, anything Miss Springer may have said or someone else may have said of her that strikes you as at all significant, I should like to know it. You can come to me in my sitting-room any time this evening.’

‘Oh,’ Julia Upjohn sighed, as the girls filed out, ‘how I wish we did know something! But we don’t, do we, Jennifer?’