"You searched the stage. Did you find anything that threw any light on the matter?"

"I found a pair of gloves in a bag that had been used on the stage, and I found the dummy cartridges in a lower drawer of the desk."

"What did you remark about the gloves?"

"One had a white stain which, on analysis, proved to be similar to that on the cartridges."

This statement caused a stir among the onlookers. Alleyn's evidence went on for some time. He described his interviews with the performers, and said they had all since signed the notes taken at the time of their statements. This was news to Nigel, who wondered how they had reacted to the evidence of his activities. Alleyn said little about the subsequent investigations by the police, and was not pressed to do so by the coroner, who left him a very free hand.

Felix Gardener was called. He was very pale, but gave his evidence clearly. He admitted ownership of the revolver, said it was his brother's, and that he gave the six cartridges to the property man, who converted them into dummies.

"Did you visit Miss Vaughan's dressing-room before the fatality?"

"Yes. I was there with Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn, who visited me with a friend, before the first act. I did not return after the first act."

"Did you notice a bottle of white cosmetic upset on the dressing-table?"

"No, sir."

"Mr. Gardener, will you describe the actual scene when you fired the revolver?"

Gardener did so. His voice shook over this, and he was very pale.

"Did you realise at once what had happened?"

"Not at once, I think," Gardener answered. "I was dazed with the report of the revolver. I think it flashed through my mind that one of the blanks, fired in the wings, had got into the chamber of the gun."

"You continued in the character of your part?"

"Yes," said Gardener in a low voice. "Quite automatically. Then I began to realise. But we went on."

"We?"

Gardener hesitated.

"Miss Vaughan was also on, in that scene."

A pair of grey suede gloves was produced, to the infinite satisfaction of the onlookers.

"Are those your property?"

"No." Gardener looked both surprised and relieved.

"Have you seen them before?"

"No. Not to my knowledge."

The anonymous letter was produced, and identified by Gardener, who described how it arrived and explained the reference to his "sore foot."

"Did you get any impression of the identity of the person who trod on your foot?"

Gardener hesitated, and glanced at Alleyn.

"I received a vague impression, but afterwards decided it was not definite enough to count for anything."

"Whom did this impression suggest?"

"Must I answer that?"

He looked again towards Alleyn.

"You told Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn of this impression?"

"Yes. But I added that it really was not reliable."

"What name did you mention?"

"None. Inspector Alleyn asked if I noticed a particular scent. I thought I had done so."