‘Yes, sir. I do rather hope for a damning admission.’

‘Do you, by Gad! All right, all right. See them in here. In my room. I’d better know the worst at once, I suppose.’ He scowled at Alleyn. ‘This goes a bit close to you, doesn’t it? Lord Robert was a friend of yours, wasn’t he?’

‘He was, sir, yes.’

‘Ugh! He was a nice little chap. I understand the FO is making tender enquiries. In case a foreign power remembers him pottering about twenty years ago and has decided to assassinate him. Silly asses. Well, I’m sorry you’ve had this knock, Rory. It doesn’t seem to have cramped your style. Quick work, if it’s accurate.’

‘If!’ said Alleyn. ‘I hope to Heaven we haven’t gone wrong.’

‘What time’s the dénouement tonight?’

‘Nine o’clock, sir.’

‘All right. Trot ’em along here. Thank you, Rory.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

On his return to his own room he found Fox was waiting for him.

‘Lady Carrados is downstairs, sir.’

‘Go and bring her up, Fox, will you?’

Fox turned in the doorway.

‘I’ve got on to The Times,’ he said. ‘They were a bit dignified about it but I know one of the chaps who deals with the agony-column notices and got hold of him. He told me the Childie Darling thing came by mail with a postal order for double rates and a request that it should appear, very particular, in this morning’s edition. The note said the advertiser would call to collect the change, if any, and was signed W.A.K. Smith, address GPO, Erith.’

‘Postmark?’

‘They’d lost the envelope but he’ll look for it. The writing,’ said Fox, ‘was in script on common notepaper.’

‘Was it indeed?’ murmured Alleyn.

‘There’s one other thing,’ said Fox. ‘The reports have come through from the post offices. A clerk at the Main Western District says that during the rush hour yesterday someone left a parcel on the counter. He found it later on in the day. It was soft, about the right weight and had five bob in tuppenny stamps on it, one and fivepence more than was necessary. He remembers the address was to somewhere in China and it was written in script. So my Private Hoo Flung Dung may have been a fair guess. We’ve got on to Mount Pleasant and it’s too late. A parcels post went out to China this afternoon.’

‘Blast!’ said Alleyn.

‘I’ll be off,’ said Fox, ‘and get her ladyship.’

While he waited for Lady Carrados, Alleyn cut the little notice out of The Times. After a moment’s consideration he unlocked a drawer in his desk and took out Mrs Halcut-Hackett’s gold cigarette-case. He opened it and neatly gummed the notice inside the lid.

Fox showed Lady Carrados in and went away.

‘I’m so sorry, Evelyn,’ said Alleyn. ‘I’ve been closeted with my superior. Have you been here long?’

‘No. What is it now, please, Roderick?