Harding moved several of the papers on the table, and chose one from amongst them. With his eyes on it he said: "You hadn't at any time during the weekend allowed Sir Arthur to kiss you?"
Camilla, her gaze also riveted to the paper, hesitated. The Sergeant, aware that amongst the various statements before Harding there was none in the least relevant to the question, nodded his head slowly in appreciation of this stratagem.
Harding looked up from the document in his hand. "Come, Mrs. Halliday! Did Sir Arthur kiss you or not?"
"There's no harm in a kiss," she said defensively. "What if he did?"
"Once, Mrs. Halliday, or several times?"
"I don't know who it is who's been spying on me," Camilla said, "but I think it's the absolute limit!"
Harding did not pursue the question any further. He laid the paper down again, and sat back in his chair. "Let us go back to where we were," he said. "What happened after the General had pressed this cheque on you?"
"We motored back to the house," answered Camilla sullenly.
"And then?"
"Sir Arthur wanted me to take some of his roses home with me, and he called Lady Billington-Smith down to see about it. I must say, I did think at the time that she was rather fed-up. Sir Arthur was being awfully complimentary to me, and I could see she didn't like it, so I just ran upstairs to take my hat off. Of course I've always had a sort of feeling about Fay, that though she's so quiet, and sweet, if you know what I mean, she's one of those people who get simply frightfully jealous underneath. At least, that's how she struck me, and of course one couldn't help seeing that she didn't get on with Sir Arthur. I was rather sorry for him, in a way. I simply hate saying anything about my friends, and I'm not in the least narrow-minded — in fact, quite the opposite — but I must say I did think the way she and Mr. Guest behaved was a bit thick. I mean it was utterly obvious that she's in love with him, and he with her. And poor Sir Arthur was quite unsuspecting, which did seem to me rather pathetic'