Harding smiled down at Camilla. "There's no need for you to be at all nervous, Mrs. Halliday. Sergeant, will you open the door for Mr. Halliday?" He sat down again at the table, and pushed the papers on it a little way away from him. His attitude was rather that of one settling down to a comfortable talk; he did not look towards Halliday again, and after a moment's indecision Halliday left the room.
The Sergeant, having shut the door, went back to take up his dogged stand again before the fireplace, but was foiled.
"Sit down, Sergeant," said Harding, nodding to a chair behind Camilla's. "Now, Mrs. Halliday, I'm sure this has all been a great shock to you, and you would much rather not talk about it. But I'm afraid I shall have to ask you one or two rather important questions, over which I think probably you can help me."
Camilla, who had entered the room with a mixture of fright and defiance on her pretty, weak face, revived somewhat under this gentle handling, and spoke quite cordially. "Of course, I don't mind a bit, only I simply don't know anything, Inspector."
"Well," said Harding, laughing, "if I ask you anything you don't know you must just say so, and we'll try again."
Camilla gave a little titter, and patted the set waves of her hair. "Oh, if you're not going to be cross with me for not knowing things, I'm ready to answer anything. Only I've got awfully highly strung nerves — I've always been like it: most frightfully sensitive — and that ghastly policeman yesterday simply barked at me, and it was too awful for words."
"I won't bark at you," promised Harding. With not appearing to look very closely at her he had, nevertheless, kept his eyes on her face from the moment she had entered the room. As a result of this trained observation he said now: "You will have to forgive me it I ask you something rather personal, Mrs. Halliday. You are, if I may say so, a very attractive woman. I think the General thought so too, didn't he?"
Camilla laughed again, and threw him her coquettish glance. "Well, I must say I never expected to receive compliments from the police, Inspector! "Tisn't for me to say whether I'm attractive or not."
"I should hardly believe that the General did not find you so," prompted Harding.
"Oh well, perhaps he did, a bit. You know what old men are, and although Lady Billington-Smith's awfully sweet — I'm frightfully fond of her, you know — she always gives me the impression of being rather cold. Poor Sir Arthur wanted to have some fun, I expect, and he happened to like me rather — I don't know why, I'm sure — and that's how it was." She paused, and added: "Of course, there was nothing in it! He just liked to flirt a little, and he was ever so much older than me."