But be as the dead for the dead man’s sake.
“That’s it. Lady Wutherwood determined to make the experiment. As soon as her copy of the Compendium Maleficomm opened itself at that chapter, as soon as I saw her pencilled marks in the margin, I guessed what was up. I ought to have guessed before.”
“I don’t see how you could,” said Roberta.
“Lord, no,” said Henry. “I call it quite remarkable to have got it when you did.”
“Do you?” said Alleyn. “I’m afraid you’re easily impressed. Well, there you are. She waited till the house was still and her night nurse was snoring. By the way, the night nurse’s virtuous denials may have some foundation. I fancy she’d been treated to a morphia tablet in her cocoa. You will have noticed that her pupils were contracted.”
“We didn’t,” said Henry. “But how cunning of Aunt V.”
“Oh, Lady Wutherwood didn’t do that,” said Alleyn, “any more than she murdered Giggle.”
Neither Henry nor Roberta spoke. Alleyn looked from one to the other and then at Nigel, who sat self-effacingly in a corner of the room. “Haven’t you told them?” asked Alleyn.
“I–I thought I had,” murmured Nigel.
“What have you told them?”