‘At the stairhead, sir, one finds a green baize door leading to the servants’ quarters, the back stairs and so on. Next to this door is a room which last night was employed as a sitting-room. One finds next a bathroom, bedroom and toilet used last night for ladies. Last at the end of the gallery, a green boudoir also used as a sitting-room for the ball.’

‘Was there a telephone in any of these rooms?’

‘In the green boudoir, sir. It was used several times during the evening.’

‘You are an excellent witness, François. I compliment you. Now tell me. You were stationed on this landing. Do you remember the names of the persons who used the telephone?’

François pinched his lower lip.

‘It was used by Lady Jennifer Trueman to enquire for her little girl who is ill. Her ladyship requested me to get the number for her. It was used by a young gentleman who called a toll number to say that he would not be returning to the country. Early in the evening it was answered by Sir Daniel Davidson, who, I think, is a doctor. He spoke about a patient who had had an operation. It was also used, sir, by Lord Robert Gospell.’

Alleyn waited a moment. With a sort of astonishment he realized his heart had quickened.

‘Could you hear what Lord Robert said?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Did you notice if anyone went into the room while Lord Robert was at the telephone?’

‘No, sir. Immediately after Lord Robert entered this room I was summoned by Sir Herbert Carrados who came out of the other sitting-room and spoke to me about the lack of matches. Sir Herbert was annoyed. He sent me into this room to see for myself and ordered me to go at once and fetch more matches. There did not appear to me to be any lack of matches but I did not, of course, say so. I fetched more matches from downstairs. When I returned I went to the telephone-room and found it empty. I attended to the ash-tray and the matches in the telephone-room, also.’

Alleyn sighed.

‘Yes, I see. I’ve no doubt you made a good job of it. Any cigar-stumps in the telephone-room? You wouldn’t remember, of course.’

‘No, sir.’

‘No. François, who was in the other sitting-room and who was on the landing before Lord Robert telephoned? Before Sir Herbert Carrados sent you away. Can you remember?’

‘I will try, sir. There were two gentlemen who also sent me away.’

‘What?’