had dropped through the ceiling from one of the rooms above the library when the floor collapsed in the fire.'
'Yessir.'
'That seems quite plain. Did you find anything to suggest what might have been the cause of the fire?'
'No sir. It might 've bin anything. The place was burned out so bad there wasn't enough left to show how it started.'
The coroner turned to the jury.
'Have you any questions to ask this witness?'
Hardly giving them any time to answer, he turned again to the sergeant.
'Next witness, please.'
'Algernon Sidney Fairweather.'
Fairweather went up on to the platform and took the oath. The coroner's manner became less peremptory. He clearly regarded it as a pleasant relief to be able to examine a witness of his own class.
'You are the owner of Whiteways, Mr Fairweather?'
'I am.'
'The deceased was a guest in your house on the night of the seventeenth ?'
'He was.'
'Which room was he occupying?'
'The end bedroom in the west wing, directly above the library.'
'So that in the event of the collapse of the floor of his room, his bed would fall through into the library?'
'It would.'
The coroner glanced at the jury triumphantly, as much as to say: 'There you are, you see.' Then he turned back to Fairweather even more deferentially.
'Would you give us your account of what occurred on the night of the fire, Mr Fairweather?'
Fairweather clasped his hands in front of him, frowning seriously with the expression of a man who is carefully and conscientiously marshalling his memories.
'We had dinner a little early that night—at about seven o'clock—because Captain Knightley and Lady Valerie were going to the cinema. They left immediately after dinner, and shortly afterwards Lady Sangore went to her room to write some letters. The rest of us sat and talked in the library until about half-past ten, when Kennet went to bed. That was the last time any of us saw him. At about a quarter past eleven Captain Knightley and Lady Valerie returned, and I should think we stayed up for not more than another quarter of an hour. Then we all went to bed.
'Some time later—I should imagine it was about half-past twelve—I was awakened by the clanging of the fire alarms. I put on a pair of trousers and left my room. At once it became obvious to me that the fire was serious. There was a great deal of smoke on the stairs, and from the sound of the flames and the light they gave I could see that the fire must have taken a firm hold on the ground floor.
'You must understand that I had just been suddenly woken up, and I was somewhat bewildered. As I hesitated, I saw Captain Knightley come along the passage carrying Lady Valerie. Then I heard General Sangore's voice outside shouting 'Hurry up and get out, everybody!' I started to follow Captain Knightley, and I was halfway down the stairs when I met Mr Luker coming up. He said 'Oh, that's all
