"Props I never suspected. A guilty man would never have blackguarded Surbonadier as he did and he was too silly, poor chap, to have done it. He had recognised Gardener somehow in the dark. He may have brushed against him and given him the idea of the toe tarradiddle. Quite possible. Anyway, Props was all for shielding the murderer of his girl's betrayer. Until he saw the news of Saint's arrest. Then he wrote that note to me. He rang up Gardener and I suppose told him he knew something. Gardener suggested the theatre as a rendezvous, probably Props mentioned the window in Simon's Alley. Gardener dressed up as the old boy in an opera cloak and completely diddled our Mr. Watkins. Disguise is usually a figment of detective fictionists' imagination, but again—Gardener was a consummate actor. He could risk it. You called while he was away murdering Props."

Alleyn described his views as regards the second murder. Nigel listened appalled.

"Watkins's successor saw the old gentleman in the opera cloak return and failed to recognise him. The flat had been searched this morning. We hope to find evidence of the disguise. I think the overwhelming conceit of most murderers proved a little too much for Felix Gardener. The killing of Props was a bad mistake and yet—what could he do? Props, poor silly oaf that he was, evidently told him he wouldn't stand for an innocent man's trial and possible conviction. Props had to be got rid of. The method was not without points. If you hadn't called and found him out, if the old servant had not overheard that years-old conversation between himself and Surbonadier, if he hadn't got wet-white on his gloves—ah, well, there it is. We haven't been very clever. I'm handing no bouquets to myself over this case."

"Why did you want to get me out of the way?"

"My dear creature, because you were his friend, because he wondered how much you'd overheard in the flat, because—in short, because he's a murderer."

"I'm not convinced, Alleyn."

"You mean you don't want to be. It's perfectly beastly for you, I know. Were you greatly attached to him? Come now—were you?"

"I—well, perhaps not greatly attached, but we are by way of being friends."

"Where were you when I arrested him?"

"I had come 'round to the back. I stood under the electrician's platform."

"Then you saw him come down the ladder. You saw him kick down at me as he had kicked down at Props. You saw——"

"Yes—yes, I saw his face."