‘Hah!’ the doctor ejaculated and sat up. ‘Upon my soul the whirligig of time brings in his revenges. Even to the point where the dull detection apes at artifice, inspectors echo with informéd breath their pasteboard prototypes of fancy wrought. I am amazed and know not what to say.’ He helped himself to snuff and fell back into a recumbent position.

‘Please don’t mind him,’ Helena said, smiling at Alleyn. ‘He is a very foolish vain old man and has read somewhere that it’s clever to quote in a muddled sort of way from the better known bits of the Bard.’

‘We encourage him too much,’ Jacko added gloomily.

‘We have become too friendly with him,’ said Poole.

‘A figo for your friendship,’ said Dr Rutherford.

Parry Percival sighed ostentatiously and Darcey said: ‘Couldn’t we get on?’ Alleyn looked good-humouredly at Jacko and said: ‘Yes, Mr Doré?’

‘I wouldn’t agree,’ Jacko said, ‘that Ben was very much upset but that was an almost chronic condition of late with poor Ben. I believe now with Miss Hamilton that he had decided there was little further enjoyment to be found in observing the dissolution of his own character and was about to take the foolproof way of ending it. He wished to assure Martyn that the decision had nothing to do with chagrin over Martyn’s success or the failure of his niece. And that, if I am right, was nice of Ben.’

‘I don’t think we need use the word “failure”,’ J.G. objected. ‘Gay was quite unable to go on.’

‘I hope you are better now, Miss Gainsford,’ Alleyn said.

Gay made an eloquent gesture with both hands and let them fall in her lap. ‘What does it matter?’ she said. ‘Better? Oh, yes, I’m better.’ And with the closest possible imitation of Helena Hamilton’s familiar gesture she extended her hand, without looking at him to J.G. Darcey. He took it anxiously. ‘Much better,’ he said, patting it.

Martyn thought: ‘Oh, dear, he is in love with her. Poor J.G.!’

Alleyn looked thoughtfully at them for a moment and then turned to the others.