Richard surprised him by suddenly crying out: ‘You think she did it herself! She didn’t! I can’t believe it! Never!’

‘Is there any reason why she should?’

‘No! My God, no! No!’

Alleyn waited for a little, visited, as was not unusual with him, by a distaste for this particular aspect of his job.

He said: ‘What did you do when Miss Lee couldn’t receive you?’

Richard moved away from him, his hands thrust down in his pockets. ‘I went for a walk,’ he said.

‘Now, look here,’ Alleyn said, ‘you must see that this is a very odd story. Your guardian, as I believe Miss Bellamy was, reaches the top moment of her birthday party. You leave her cold, first in pursuit of Miss Lee and then to go for a stroll round Chelsea. Are you telling me that you’ve been strolling ever since?’

Without turning, Richard nodded.

Alleyn walked round him and looked him full in the face.

‘Mr Dakers,’ he said. ‘Is that the truth? It’s now five to nine. Do you give me your word that from about seven o’clock when you left this house you didn’t return to it until you came in, ten minutes ago?’

Richard, looking desperately troubled, waited for so long that to Alleyn the scene became quite unreal. The two of them were fixed in the hiatus like figures in a suspended film sequence.

‘Are you going to give me an answer?’ Alleyn said at last.

‘I – I – don’t – think – I did actually – just after – she was …’ A look of profound astonishment came into Richard’s face. He crumpled into a faint at Alleyn’s feet.

II

‘He’ll do,’ Dr Harkness said, relinquishing Richard’s pulse. He straightened up and winced a little in the process. ‘You say he’s been walking about on an empty stomach and two or three drinks. The shock coming on top of it did the trick for him, I expect. In half an hour he won’t be feeling any worse than I do and that’s medium to bloody awful. Here he comes.’

Richard had opened his eyes. He stared at Dr Harkness and then frowned. ‘Lord, I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I passed out, didn’t I?’

‘You’re all right,’ Dr Harkness said. ‘Where’s this sal volatile, Gracefield?’

Gracefield presented it on a tray. Richard drank it down and let his head fall back. They had put him on a sofa there in the drawing-room. ‘I was talking to somebody,’ he said. ‘That man – God, yes! Oh, God.’

‘It’s all right,’ Alleyn said, ‘I won’t worry you. We’ll leave you to yourself, for a bit.’

He saw Richard’s eyes dilate. He was looking past Alleyn towards the door. ‘Yes,’ he said loudly. ‘I’d rather be alone.’

‘What is all this?’