“It was much better for you to tell me this at once, Mrs. Wilde,” said Alleyn, very matter of fact. “One quite appreciates the emotional stress and shock of this terrible discovery. I should like,” he continued generally, “to fix the actual grouping of this scene in my mind. Mrs. Wilde was kneeling beside the body. She had moved it over on to its back. Doctor Tokareff, you were standing beside her?”

“Certainly. I stood there saying, ‘do not touch.’ Still she continued to shake at him. I have seen immediately that she is hysterical and I tried to raise her upwards, but she resisted me. In hysteria sometimes zere is sush a strength. Then Miss Grant said quite quietly, ‘It’s no use to call Charles now, he is gone for good,’ and at once Mrs. Wilde stopped. Then I have raised her away and Sir Hubert Handesley said, ‘For God’s sake please make sure he is dead.’ I have known immediately that he is dead, but nevertheless I examine, and Miss North said, ‘Telephone Doctor Young,’ so she does.”

“Is everyone agreed that this is substantially correct?” asked Alleyn — formally.

There was a general murmur of assent.

“Since I prove that from seven-thirty to seven fifty-five I sing very loud in my room,” announced the Russian, “is not this an Ali Baba? I should like now to go to London where I have appointment for a meeting.”

“I am afraid that is impossible,” said Alleyn smoothly.

“But—” began the Russian.

“I will explain afterwards, Doctor Tokareff. At the moment we will see out the consummation of the Murder Game. Sir Hubert, what were your movements from the time you went upstairs until the alarm?”

Handesley looked at his own interlocked fingers lying before him on the table. He did not raise his eyes. His voice was even and unbroken.

“I went to my dressing-room at the far end of the corridor. I undressed and spoke to Vassily who was putting out my things. Then he went out and I had my bath. I had finished bathing and had dressed — all except my dinner jacket, when there was a knock at my door. Angela came in. She wanted to know if I had any aspirin. Miss Grant had a headache and would like to take some. I found the aspirin and gave it to Angela. She went out and almost immediately afterwards the alarm sounded. I joined the party on the landing and it was then that Arthur — Mr. Wilde — tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘You are the corpse.’ I think that is all.”

“Any questions?”

The vague negative murmur floated round the table.

“Miss Grant,” said the Inspector, “you also went upstairs with the first party. Where was your room?”

“At the far end of the cross-corridor at the back of the house, next to Angela’s — to Miss North’s. We went along together. Angela came into my room after we had bathed. It was then I asked her for aspirin.”

“Where is the bathroom you used?”

“Opposite my bedroom. We both used it — I first.”

“And you merely crossed the passage to this bathroom and back to your own room?”

“Yes.”

“Did you go anywhere else while you were upstairs?”

“No. I came down after the alarm.”

“You, Miss North? What were your movements?”

“I came up with Rosamund. While she bathed I read in my own room. On my return from the bathroom I went in to her and after that to my uncle’s room for the aspirin. I had just got back to Rosamund’s door when the lights went out”

“Where is Mr. Rankin’s room?”

“Next mine and immediately opposite the entrance of the top passage into the corridor. May I complete the sketch there?” Alleyn pushed the sheet of paper along to her and she traced in the remaining rooms.

“Thank you very much,” said Alleyn. “That completes the positions of the characters. It also brings to a close the opening phase of the reconstruction of the game. Before we go I should like to speak to Florence, your maid, Miss North. I am sure you will all see that it is most important to establish the positions of Mr. and Mrs. Wilde and Mr. Bathgate.”

Angela got up and crossed to a push-bell by the mantelpiece. The others moved back their chairs and Wilde began a low-voiced conversation with Handesley.

The bell was answered, not by Vassily, but by a small agitated maid. She looked as if she belonged to the back stairs and had got into the drawing-room by mistake.

“Will you ask Florence to come in for a moment, Mary?” said Angela.

“Yes, miss.”

“Oh, just a second, Mary,” said Alleyn, with a glance at Angela, “were you in the hall last night when Mr. Wilde went upstairs and Mr. Rankin was left alone?”

“Oh — yes, yes, sir, I was. Mr. Roberts don’t usually send me to the front of the ’ouse, sir, but last night—”

“Did Mr. Wilde speak to you?”

“He arst me the time and I says ‘ten to’ and he says, ‘Hell, I’m late,’ and skedaddles upstairs.”

“What was Mr. Rankin doing?”

“Smoking a cigarette sir, quite happy like. I say, ‘Shall I take away the cocktail tray?’ and he says, ‘Don’t do that,’ he says, ‘I’ll have a quick one,’ he says, ‘and spoil that schoolboy complexion.’ So I goes away, sir, and then only a few seconds later, sir, the lights went out and — oh, isn’t it awful?”

“Terrible. Thank you, Mary.”

After a hesitating glance at Handesley the maid went out.

“Doesn’t the butler usually answer that bell?” asked Alleyn after a pause.

“Yes,” said Angela vaguely, “yes, of course, Mary’s the between-maid. She never answers the bell. I don’t know why he didn’t come — everyone is so upset, I suppose Vassily—”

She was interrupted by the entrance of Florence, a darkish wooden-faced individual of about thirty-five.

“Florence,” said Angela, “Mr. Alleyn wants to ask you something about last night.”

“Yes, miss.”

“Will you tell me, please,” began Alleyn, “which of the rooms you went into last night when the guests were upstairs dressing?”

“Very good, sir. I went first to Miss Angela’s room.”

“How long were you there?”

“Only a few minutes. Miss Angela wished me to ask Mrs. Wilde if I could assist her.”

“So you went to Mrs. Wilde’s room?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What happened there?”

“Madam asked me to fasten her dress. I fastened it,” said Florence sparsely.

“Did Mrs. Wilde speak to you?”

“Madam was speaking to Mr. Wilde who was in the bathroom next door to the dressing-room.”

“Did Mr. Wilde answer?”

“Yes, sir. He was speaking to Mrs. Wilde and also to Mr. Bathgate who was in his own room beyond.”

“When you left Mrs. Wilde where did you go?”

“To Miss Grant’s room.”

“How long were you there?”

“I waited a moment, sir. Miss Grant was not there. She came in a few minutes later and said she did not require me. I left. Miss Angela was coming along the passage. Then the lights went out.”

“Did Miss Grant come from the bathroom?”

Florence hesitated. “I think not, sir. Miss Grant bathed earlier — before Miss Angela.”

“Thank you very much. I think that’s all I wanted to ask you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The door shut behind Florence. No one had looked at Rosamund Grant. No one had spoken.

Alleyn turned a page of his note-book.

“By the way, Miss Grant,” he said, “did you not say that apart from your visit to the bathroom you did not leave your room until the gong sounded?”

“Wait a moment!” ejaculated Doctor Young.

“Rosamund — it’s all right,” cried Angela, running across to her friend. But Rosamund Grant had slid from her chair to the floor in a dead faint.

In the sort of horribly false confusion that followed, Nigel was aware only of one thing, and that was the pounding at the bell-push in answer to some confused order of Sir Hubert’s.

“Brandy — that’s what she wants.” Handesley was shouting.

“Better some sal volatile,” said Doctor Young. “Just open those windows one of ye.”

“I’ll fetch some,” Angela said and hurried away.