‘I think it might well have been designed to influence Sir Henry’s Will, and with both his Wills we are, as I think you’ll agree, very definitely concerned.’

‘This is too subtle for my poor wits, I’m afraid.’

‘It was common knowledge, wasn’t it, that his youngest granddaughter was, at this time, his principal heir?’

‘But one never knew. We bounced in and out of favour from day to day.’

‘If this is true, wouldn’t these tricks, if attributed to her, very much affect her position?’ Alleyn waited but was given no answer. ‘Why, in fact, did you allow him to believe she was the culprit?’

‘That devilish child,’ Cedric said, ‘gets away with innumerable hideous offences. A sense of injured innocence must have been quite a change for her.’

‘You see,’ Alleyn went on steadily, ‘the flying cow was the last trick of five, and, as far as we know, was the final reason for Sir Henry’s changing his Will that night. It was fairly conclusively proved to him that Panty did not do it, and it’s possible that Sir Henry, not knowing which of his family to suspect, took his revenge on all.’

‘Yes, but—’

‘Now whoever was a party to these tricks—’

‘At least you’ll admit that I wouldn’t be very likely to try and cut myself out of the Will—’

‘I think that result was unforeseen. You hoped, perhaps, to return to your former position with Panty out of the picture. To something, in fact, on the lines of the Will read at the dinner party, but rather better. You have told me that you and Miss Orrincourt were partners in one of these practical jokes. Indeed you’ve suggested to me that you at least had knowledge of them all.’

Cedric began to speak very rapidly. ‘I resent all this talk of partnership. I resent the implication and deny it. You force me into an intolerable position with your hints and mysteries. I suppose there’s nothing left but for me to admit I knew what she was doing and why she did it. It amused me and it enlivened the ghastly boredom of these wretched festivities. Panty I consider an abomination, and I don’t in the least regret that she was suspected or that she was cut out of the Will. She probably wallowed in her borrowed glory. There!’

‘Thank you,’ said Alleyn. ‘That clears up quite a lot of the fog. And now, Sir Cedric, are you quite sure you don’t know who wrote the letters?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘And are you equally sure you didn’t put the book on embalming in the cheese-dish?’