‘That reduces the mixed bag a bit. You’ve been through all the rooms, of course, but before we do anything else, Br’er Fox, let’s have a prowl.’

They went into the passage. Fox jerked his thumb at Bennington’s room. ‘Gibson’s doing a fly-crawl in there,’ he said. ‘If there’s anything, he’ll find it. That dresser-chap didn’t clear anything up except his used powder-puffs.’

They passed Bennington’s room and went into Parry Percival’s next door. Here they found Detective-Sergeants Thompson and Bailey, the one a photographic and the other a fingerprint expert. They were packing up their gear.

‘Well, Bailey?’ Alleyn asked.

Bailey looked morosely at his superior. ‘It’s there all right, sir,’ he said grudgingly. ‘Complete prints, very near, and a check-up all over the shop.’

‘What about next door?’

‘Deceased’s room, sir? His prints on the wing-tap and the tube. Trace of red greasepaint on the rubber connection at the end of the tube. Matches paint on deceased’s lips.’

‘Very painstaking,’ said Alleyn. ‘Have you tried the experiment?’

‘Seeing the fires are back to back, sir,’ Fox said, ‘we have. Sergeant Gibson blew down this tube and deceased’s fire went out. As in former case.’

‘Well,’ Alleyn said, ‘there you are. Personally I don’t believe a word of it, either way.’ He looked, without interest, at the telegrams stuck round the frame of Parry’s looking-glass and at his costume for the ball. ‘Very fancy,’ he muttered. ‘Who’s in the next room?’

‘Mr J. G. Darcey,’ said Thompson.

They went into J.G.’s room which was neat and impersonal in character and contained nothing, it seemed, of interest, unless a photograph of Miss Gainsford looking insouciante could be so regarded.

In the last room on this side of the passage they saw the electric-machine, some rough sketches, scraps of material and other evidences of Martyn’s sewing-party for Jacko. Alleyn glanced round it, crossed the passage and looked into the empty room opposite. ‘Dismal little cells when they’re unoccupied, aren’t they?’ he said and moved on to Gay Gainsford’s room.