“Marvellous deduction, Inspector! Now I think of it, I was a little late getting there. I stayed off-stage for a minute or two.”

“Why did you do this?”

“Oh, I was talking.”

“To whom?”

“My dear old boy, I don’t know. Who was it now! Oh, Valerie Gaynes.”

“I’m sure,” said Alleyn formally, “you will understand that these questions are not prompted by idle curiosity.”

“My dear old boy!” repeated Liversidge. Alleyn restrained a wince.

“Then perhaps you will not object to telling us what you and Miss Gaynes talked about?”

Liversidge looked from Wade to Cass and back again at Alleyn.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I don’t remember.”

“Please try to remember. It’s only a couple of hours ago. Where were you standing?”

“Oh, just off-stage somewhere.”

“On the prompt side.”

“Er—yes.”

“Then perhaps Mr. Gascoigne will remember. He was there.”

“He was nowhere near us.”

“You remember that,” said Alleyn vaguely.

Liversidge lost a little of his colour.

“As a matter of fact, Alleyn,” he said after a moment, “our conversation was about a personal matter. I’m afraid I can’t repeat it. Nothing that could have the remotest interest to anyone but ourselves. You do understand.”

“Oh, rather. How long did it last?”

“Two or three minutes, perhaps.”

“If you were near the prompt entrance you were not far from the steel ladder that goes up into the grid. Did anyone come down that ladder while you were there?”

“Yes,” answered Liversidge readily enough. “Just as I turned away to go down the dressing-room passage, Alfred Meyer and the head mechanist came down.”

“Did you stay on the stage after that?”

“No. I went on down the passage.”

“Thank you so much,” said Alleyn. ‘That, really, was the point we wanted to get at. Now, after the tragedy, when we cleared the stage—where did you go?”

“I stood with all the others by the entrance to the passage. That was while Hailey was shepherding the guests out. Then I went to the dressing-room.”

“Anyone else there when you arrived?”

“Yes. Branny and poor old Court. He felt very shaken. Branny was giving him a nip.”

“Were you among the last to leave the stage?”

“I suppose I was. I think we were the last.”

“Who was with you?”

“Oh—Val Gaynes.”

“Did you have a second conversation?”

“Just about the tragedy,” said Liversidge. “I left her at her dressing-room door. She went on to the wardrobe-room, I think.”

“Now, Mr. Liversidge, can you tell me if anyone remained on the stage after you left it?”

“Hailey Hambledon went back to—to where you were after the guests had gone.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I don’t mean the actual stage within the scenery but the area, off-stage. Did anyone stay behind, off-stage?”

“I didn’t notice anyone do so,” said Liversidge.