"Oh, so Mrs. Herne used it."
"She did, sir. When I opened the door on that night," Susan shuddered, "the first thing I knew was the smell of Hikui making the passage like a hairdresser's shop. I leaned forward to see if the lady was Senora Gredos, and she turned her face away. But I caught sight of it, and if she isn't some relative of my last mistress, may I never eat bread again."
"Did Mrs. Herne seem offended when you examined her face?"
"She gave a kind of start—"
"At the sight of you," said Jennings quickly.
"La, no, sir. She never saw me before."
"I'm not so sure of that," muttered the detective. "Did you also recognize Mr. Clancy and Mr. Hale as having visited the Soho house?"
"No, sir. I never set eyes on them before."
"But as parlor-maid, you must have opened the door to—"
"Just a moment, sir," said Susan quickly. "I opened the door in the day when few people came. After eight the page, Gibber, took my place. And I hardly ever went upstairs, as Senora Gredos told me to keep below. One evening I did come up and saw—" here her eyes rested on Cuthbert with a look which made him turn crimson. "I wish I had never come up on that night."