“What’s that?” demanded Alison quickly.
“I say, Miss Searle knows, but she won’t tell.”
“The girl who sat next to Bangs at lunch?”
“But how is that? I don’t quite understand.”
“Oh, she says she was in the place when the bandbox was purchased—saw the whole transaction; but it’s none of her affair, says she, so she won’t tell me anything.”
“Conscientious young woman,” said Alison approvingly. “But are you quite sure you have exhausted every means of identifying the true culprit? Did you examine the box yourself? I mean, did you leave it all to the housemaid—what’s her name—Milly?”
He nodded: “Yes.”
“Then she may have overlooked something. Why take her word for it? There may be a card or something there now.”
Staff looked startled and chagrined. “That’s so. It never occurred to me. I am a bonehead, and no mistake. I’ll just take a look, after we’ve run through this play.”