She nodded two or three times with her eyes shut. ‘You may well say so,’ she murmured, ‘you – may – well …’ Her voice trailed into silence and she dozed.

Fox opened his mouth and Alleyn signalled him and he shut it again. There was a considerable pause. Presently Old Ninn gave a slight snore, moved her lips and opened her eyes.

Alleyn said: ‘Does Mr Richard know about his parentage?’

She looked fixedly at him. ‘Why shouldn’t he?’ she said. ‘They were both killed in a motor accident and don’t you believe anything you’re told to the contrary. Name of Dakers.’ She caught sight of Fox and his notebook. ‘Dakers,’ she repeated and spelt it out for him.

‘Thank you very much,’ said Fox.

Alleyn said: ‘Did you think Mr Richard looked very much upset when he came out of her room?’

‘She had the knack of upsetting him. He takes things to heart.’

‘What did he do?’

‘Went downstairs. Didn’t look at me. I doubt if he saw me.’

‘Florence,’ Alleyn said, ‘thought he looked like death.’

Ninn got to her feet. Her little hands clutched at his arm.

‘What’s she mean? What’s she been hinting? Why didn’t she say what I heard? After she went downstairs? I told her. Why didn’t she tell you?

‘What did you hear?’

‘She knows! I told her. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and now she won’t admit it. Trying to lay the blame on the boy. She’s a wicked girl and always has been.’

‘What did you hear?’

‘I heard The Lady using that thing. The poison thing. Hissing. Heard it! She killed herself,’ Ninn said. ‘Why, we’ll never know and the sin’s on her head for ever. She killed herself.’

IV

There was a long pause during which Ninn showed signs of renewed instability. Fox put his arm under hers. ‘Steady does it,’ he said comfortably.

‘That’s no way to talk,’ she returned sharply and sat down again.

‘Florence,’ Alleyn said, ‘tells us Miss Bellamy was incapable of any such thing.’

The mention of Florence instantly restored her.

‘Florence said this and Florence said that,’ she barked. ‘And did Florence happen to mention she fell out with her Lady and as good as got her notice this morning? Did she tell you that?’

‘No,’ Alleyn murmured, ‘she didn’t tell us that.’

‘Ah! There you are, you see!’

‘What did you do after Mr Richard left the room and went downstairs? After Florence had gone and after you’d heard the spray?’

She had shut her eyes again and he had to repeat his questions. ‘I retired,’ she said with dignity, ‘to my room.’

‘When did you hear of the catastrophe?’

‘There was a commotion. Floy with a hot bottle on the landing having hysterics. I couldn’t get any sense out of her. Then the doctor came out and told me.’