‘I can assure you I am not in the least afraid of police investigation,’ said Carrados with an injured laugh. His hand still covered his eyes.

‘Of course not, sir. I wanted first of all to ask you if you spoke to Lord Robert last night. I mean something more than hail and farewell. I thought that if there was anything at all unusual in his manner it would not escape your notice as it would the notice of, I am afraid, the majority of people.’

Carrados looked slightly less huffy.

‘I don’t pretend to be any more observant than the next fellow,’ he said, ‘but as a soldier-man I’ve had to use my eyes a bit and I think if there’s anything wrong anywhere I’m not likely to miss it. Yes, I spoke to Lord Robert Gospell once or twice last night and I can assure you he was perfectly normal in every possible way. He was nice enough to tell me he thought our ball the most successful of the season. Perfectly normal.’

Alleyn leant forward and fixed Carrados with a reverent glare.

‘Sir Herbert,’ he said, ‘I’m going to do a very unconventional thing and I hope you won’t get me my dismissal as I’m sure you very easily could. I’m going to take you wholly into our confidence.’

It was pleasant to see the trappings of sorrow fall softly away from Carrados, and to watch his posture change from that of a stricken soldier-man to an exact replica of the Tunbridge Wells photograph. Up came his head. The knees were spread apart, the hands went involuntarily to the inside of the thighs. Only the gloves and breeches were lacking. A wise son of Empire sat confessed.

‘It would not be the first time,’ said Carrados modestly, ‘that confidence has been reposed in me.’

‘I’m sure it wouldn’t. This is our difficulty. We have reason to believe that the key to this mystery lies in a single sentence spoken by Lord Robert on the telephone from Marsdon House. If we could get a true report of the conversation that Lord Robert held with an unknown person at one o’clock this morning I believe we would have gone a long way towards making an arrest.’

‘Ah!’ Carrados positively beamed. ‘This bears out my own theory, Mr Alleyn. It was an outside job. You see I am conversant with your phraseology. From the moment we heard of this tragedy I said to my wife that I was perfectly satisfied that none of our guests could be in any way implicated. A telephone message from outside! There you are!’

‘I had half-hoped,’ said Alleyn modestly, ‘that you might have heard about this call. I suppose it was stupid of me.’

‘When was it?’

‘At one o’clock. We’ve got so far.’

‘At one o’clock. One o’clock. Let me see!’ Carrados drew his heavy brows down over his foolish eyes and scowled importantly. ‘At the moment I must confess I cannot quite recall—’