She smiled faintly: ‘Yes,’ she said, and it was impossible to be sure that she spoke ironically. ‘Yes, he is very thoughtful. What do you want to ask me, Roderick?’

‘All sorts of dreary questions, I’m afraid. I’m sorry about it. I know you were one of Bunchy’s friends.’

‘So were you.’

‘Yes.’

‘What is your first question?’

Alleyn went over the final scene in the hall and found she had nothing new to tell him. She answered him quickly and concisely. He could see that his questions held no particular significance for her and that her thoughts were lying in wait, anxiously, for what was yet to come. As soon as he began to speak of the green room on the top landing he knew that he touched her more nearly. He felt a profound distaste for his task. He went on steadily, without emphasis.

‘The green sitting-room with the telephone. We know that he used the telephone and are anxious to find out if he was overheard. Someone says you left your bag there, Evelyn. Did you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Dimitri returned it to you?’

‘Yes.’

‘When was this?’

‘Soon after I had come up from supper—about half-past twelve or a quarter to one.’

‘Not as late as one o’clock?’

‘No.’

‘Why are you so certain of this, please?’

‘Because,’ said Lady Carrados, ‘I was watching the time rather carefully.’

‘Were you? Does the peak of a successful ball come at a specific moment?’

‘Well, one rather watches the time. If they don’t begin to drift away after supper it looks as if it will be a success.’

‘Where were you when Dimitri returned your bag?’

‘In the ballroom.’

‘Did you notice Bunchy at about this time?’

‘I—don’t think—I remember.’

The hands were pressed closer together as if she held her secret between them; as if it might escape. Her lips were quite white.

The door opened and Bridget came in. She looked as if she had been crying.

‘Oh, Donna,’ she said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know—’

‘This is my girl, Roderick. Bridget, this is Sarah’s uncle.’

‘How do you do,’ said Bridget. ‘The detective one?’

‘The detective one.’

‘Sarah says you’re quite human really.’

‘That’s very kind of Sarah,’ said her uncle dryly.

‘I hope you’re not heckling my mother,’ said Bridget, sitting on the arm of the chair. She had an air of determined sprightliness.

‘I’m trying not to. Perhaps you could help us both. We are talking about last night.’

‘Well, I might be able to tell you something frightfully important without knowing it myself, sort of, mightn’t I?’

‘It’s happened before now,’ said Alleyn with a smile. ‘We were talking about your mother’s bag.’

‘The one she left upstairs and that I found?’

‘Bridgie!’ whispered Lady Carrados. ‘Oh, Bridgie!’