‘O careful Mr Harper!’ Alleyn sighed. ‘But it doesn’t get us much farther, I’m afraid. Fox, I’m like to get in a muddle over this. You must keep me straight. You know what an ass I can make of myself. No’; as Fox looked amiably sceptical. ‘No, I mean it. There are at least three likely pitfalls. I wish to heaven they hadn’t knocked over that glass and trampled it to smithereens.’

‘D’you think there was cyanide in the glass, Mr Alleyn?’

‘God bless us, Fox, I don’t know. I don’t know, my dear old article. How can I? But it would help a lot if we could know one way or the other. Finding none on those tiny pieces isn’t good enough.’

‘At least,’ said Fox, ‘we know there was cyanide on the dart. And knowing that, sir, and ruling out accident, I must say I agree with old Pomeroy. It looks like Legge.’

‘But how the devil could Legge put prussic acid on the dart with eight people all watching him? He was standing under the light, too.’

‘He felt the points,’ said Fox without conviction.

‘Get along with you, Foxkins. Prussic acid is extremely volatile. Could Legge dip his fingers in the acid and then wait a couple of hours or so—with every hope of giving himself a poisoned hand? He’d have needed a bottle of the stuff about him.’

‘He may have had one. He may be a bit of a conjurer. Legerdemain,’ added Fox.

‘Well—he may. We’ll have to find out.’

Alleyn lit a cigarette and sat down.

‘Let’s worry it out,’ he said. ‘May I talk? And when I go wrong, Fox, you stop me.’

‘It’s likely then,’ said Fox, dryly, ‘to be a monologue. But go ahead, sir, if you please.’

Alleyn went ahead. His pleasant voice ran on and on and a kind of orderliness began to appear. The impossible, the possible, and the probable were sorted into groups, and from the kaleidoscopic jumble of evidence was formed a pattern.

‘Imperfect,’ said Alleyn, ‘but at least suggestive.’

‘Suggestive, all right,’ Fox said. ‘And if it’s correct the case, in a funny sort of way, still hinges on the dart.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Alleyn. ‘The bare bodkin. The feathered quarrel and all that. Well, Fox, we’ve wallowed in speculation and now we’d better get on with the job. I think I hear Pomeroy senior in the public bar so presumably Pomeroy junior is at liberty. Let’s remove to the parlour.’

‘Shall I get hold of young Pomeroy?’

‘In a minute. Ask him to bring us a couple of pints. You’d better not suggest that he joins us in a drink. He doesn’t like us much, and I imagine he’d refuse, which would not be the best possible beginning.’