"He may have expected a visitor. If so, I was not that visitor. I'd given him a fiver before. I thought that was quite enough for him. There was no proof that he'd ever known Robert Underhay. My sister, since she inherited a large income from her husband, has been the target of every begging letter-writer and every sponger in the neighbourhood."

Quietly he let his eyes pass over the assembled Cloades.

"Mr Hunter, will you tell us where you were on the evening of Tuesday?"

"Find out!"said David.

"Mr Hunter!" The coroner rapped the table. "That is a most foolish and ill-advised thing to say."

"Why should I tell you where I was, and what I was doing? Time enough for that when you accuse me of murdering the man."

"If you persist in that attitude it may come to that sooner than you think. Do you recognise this, Mr Hunter?"

Leaning forward, David took the gold cigarette lighter into his hand. His face was puzzled. Handing it back, he said slowly: "Yes, it's mine."

"When did you have it last?"

"I missed it -" He paused.

"Yes, Mr Hunter?" The coroner's voice was suave.

Gaythorne fidgeted, seemed about to speak. But David was too quick for him.

"I had it last Friday - Friday morning. I don't remember seeing it since."

Mr Gaythorne rose.

"With your permission, Mr Coroner. You visited the deceased Saturday evening. Might you not have left the lighter there then?"

"I might have, I suppose," David said slowly. "I certainly don't remember seeing it after Friday -" He added: "Where was it found?"

The coroner said:

"We shall go into that later. You can stand down now, Mr Hunter."

David moved slowly back to his seat.

He bent his head and whispered to Rosaleen Cloade.

"Major Porter."

Hemming and hawing a little, Major Porter took the stand. He stood there, an erect soldierly figure, as though on parade.

Only the way he moistened his lips showed the intense nervousness from which he was suffering.

"You are George Douglas Porter, late Major of the Royal African Rifles?"

"Yes."

"How well did you know Robert Underhay?"

In a parade-ground voice Major Porter barked out places and dates.

"You have viewed the body of the deceased?"

"Yes."

"Can you identify that body?"

"Yes. It is the body of Robert Underhay."

A buzz of excitement went round the court.

"You state that positively and without the least doubt?"

"I do."

"There is no possibility of your being mistaken?"

"None."

"Thank you, Major Porter. Mrs Gordon Cloade."

Rosaleen rose. She passed Major Porter.

He looked at her with some curiosity.

She did not even glance at him.

"Mrs Cloade, you were taken by the police to see the body of the deceased?"

She shivered.

"Yes."

"You stated definitely that it was the body of a man completely unknown to you?"

"Yes."

"In view of the statement just made by Major Porter would you like to withdraw or amend your own statement?"