Alleyn felt in the pockets of an overcoat that hung under the sheet. He found a pair of white wash-leather gloves which he examined very carefully. He smelt them, held them under the light, looked at each finger, and then threw them to Gardener.

"A perfectly innocent pair of gloves," he said. "Thank you, Mr. Gardener, I appreciate your frankness. Now, if you agree, I'm going to search you, as I have searched all the others."

Nigel watched this proceeding with the liveliest anxiety. He did not know what Alleyn expected to find, or, indeed, if he expected to find anything. He found nothing.

"That's all, Mr. Gardener," he said. "I'll keep you no longer."

"I'll wait if I may," said Gardener, "for Stephanie. She wanted me to see you first."

"Certainly. Wait on the stage, will you?"

"Shall I come?" asked Nigel diffidently.

"No thanks, old thing. If you don't mind I'd rather be alone."

He went out.

"Well?" asked Nigel anxiously.

"Well, Bathgate, we don't progress very fast. What's happened to your shorthand notes?"

"I—I couldn't report old Felix for you."

"I'm not quite a machine," said Alleyn gently. He raised his voice. "Got everything, Fox?"

"Everything O.K.," answered Inspector Fox from the next room. In a moment he appeared.

"He's been taking it down outside the door," said Alleyn. "I really can't trust my filthy memory."

"Oh, Lord."

"Like to go home?" asked Alleyn.

"Not unless you want to get rid of me," said Nigel.

"Stay put then. Fox, you saw the dressers, Mr. and Miss Beadle?"

"Yes. The girl howled, and said she never done no harm to anybody, and that Mr. Surbonadier was always trying on his funny business, and that Props was her boy. Old Beadle said much the same. He'd warned the girl to look out for Mr. Surbonadier. They were both in the wardrobe-room during the black-out. Alone there together, they said. They met in the elbow of the passage, and went along together. She's a flighty bit of goods, I should say. Deceased was evidently"—Inspector Fox stopped and grimaced—"a nasty kind of chap. You might like to see the girl yourself, some time. The old father's a decent old bird and seems very fond of her."

"All right, I'll remember them. And now I'll have to see Miss Vaughan. I should have done so earlier and let her go home."

"She wanted the others to go first," said Fox. "I—took her clothes into the wardrobe-room and she said she'd change. She's not quite ready."

It was obvious from Inspector Fox's manner that he put Miss Vaughan in a superior catalogue to the rest of the cast. Alleyn looked at him and grinned.

"What's the joke?" inquired Fox suspiciously.

"No offence in the world. Have you carried on with routine work?"

"Mr. Melville helped Bailey re-set the scene in which the revolver was loaded. Haven't found the gloves."