The maid did not seem altogether overjoyed at this suggestion. Dr. Ringwood sought for some way out of the difficulty.
“There’s nobody at home tonight, is there?”
“No, sir. Mr. Silverdale hasn’t been home since lunchtime, and Mrs. Silverdale went out immediately after dinner.”
“When will she be back?”
“Not till late, sir, I expect. Young Mr. Hassendean came to dinner, and they went off in his car. I expect they’ve gone to the Alhambra to dance, sir.”
Dr. Ringwood repressed his involuntary movement at the name Hassendean.
“When in doubt, play the medicine-man card,” he concluded swiftly in his mind, without betraying anything outwardly. It seemed possible that he might get some evidence out of the maid before she became confused by any police visit. He assumed an air of doubt as he turned again to the woman.
“Did Mrs. Silverdale come much in contact with the housemaid during the day?”
“No, sir. Hardly at all.”
“H’m! When did Mrs. Silverdale have dinner?”
“At half-past seven, sir.”
“Was this Mr. Hassendean here long before dinner?”
“No, sir. He came in a few minutes before the half-hour.”
“Where were they before dinner?”
“In the drawing-room, sir.”
“The maid had been in that room during the day, I suppose?”
“Only just doing some dusting, sir. She had been complaining of a sore throat and being out of sorts, and she didn’t do anything she could avoid bothering with.”
Dr. Ringwood shook his head as though he were not very easy in his mind.
“Then Mrs. Silverdale and Mr. Hassendean went in to dinner? Did the housemaid wait at dinner?”
“No, sir. By that time she was feeling very bad, so I sent her to bed and looked after the dinner myself.”
“She hadn’t touched the dishes, or anything of that sort?”
“No, sir.”
“And immediately after dinner, Mrs. Silverdale and Mr. Hassendean went out?”
The maid hesitated for a moment.
“Yes, sir. At least—”
Dr. Ringwood made his face grave.
“Tell me exactly what happened. One never can tell with these scarlet cases.”
“Well, sir, I was just going to bring in coffee when Mr. Hassendean said: ‘Let’s have our coffee in the drawing-room, Yvonne. This room’s a bit cold.’ Or something like that. I remember he didn’t want the coffee in the dining-room, at any rate. So I went to get it; and when I came back with it they were sitting beside the fire in the drawing-room. I was going to take the tray over to them, when Mr. Hassendean said: ‘Put it down on the table over there.’ So I put it down and went away to clear the dining-room table.”
“And the housemaid had dusted the drawing-room this morning,” Dr. Ringwood said thoughtfully. “Mr. Hassendean wasn’t long in the drawing-room after dinner, was he?”
“No, sir. They didn’t take very long over their coffee.”
Dr. Ringwood looked judicial and seemed to consider some abstruse point before speaking again.
“Mrs. Silverdale didn’t look ill during the day, did she?”
“No, sir. But now you mention it, I did think she seemed rather strange just before she went out.”
“Indeed? I was afraid of something of the sort. What do you mean, exactly?” Dr. Ringwood demanded, concealing his interest as well as he could.
“Well, sir, it’s hard to say exactly. She came out of the drawing-room and went upstairs to get her cloak; and as she came down again, I passed her in the hall, taking some dishes to the kitchen. She seemed dazed-like, now you mention it.”
“Dazed?”
“Funny sort of look in her eyes, sir. I can’t describe it well. Seemed as if she wasn’t taking notice of me as I passed.”
Dr. Ringwood’s face showed an increase in gravity.
“I’m afraid Mrs. Silverdale may have got infected too. What about Mr. Hassendean?”
The maid considered for a moment before answering.
“I didn’t notice anything strange about Mr. Hassendean, sir. Unless, perhaps, he did seem a bit nervous—high-strung like, I thought. But I’d never have paid attention to it if you hadn’t asked me the question.”
Dr. Ringwood made a gesture of approval, inwardly thanking his stars for the lay public’s ignorance of diseases.
“And then they went off together?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Hassendean took the cloak from Mrs. Silverdale and put it over her shoulders. Then he took her arm and they went out to his car. It was waiting in front of the door.”
“H’m! I suppose the housemaid hadn’t touched the cloak today?”
“Oh, no, sir. She’d been in Mrs. Silverdale’s room, of course; but she wouldn’t have any reason to go near the cloak.”
Dr. Ringwood feigned a difficulty in recollection.
“Hassendean! I surely know him. Isn’t he about my height, fair, with a small moustache?”
“Yes, sir. That’s him.”
Dr. Ringwood had confirmed his guess. It was young Hassendean’s body that lay next door.
“Let’s see,” he said. “I may have to come back here in an hour or so. I’d like to have another look at my patient upstairs. Will Mrs. Silverdale be back by that time, do you think?”
“That would be about half-past eleven, sir? No, I don’t think she’d be back as soon as that. She’s usually out until after midnight, most nights.”
“Well, you might sit up and wait for me, please. Go to bed if I’m not here by twelve. But—No, if you can manage it, I think you ought to keep awake till Mrs. Silverdale comes home. That patient shouldn’t be left with no one to look after her. I’m just afraid she may get a little lightheaded in the night. It’s hard lines on you; but you must do your best for her.”
“Very well, sir, if you say so.”
“Perhaps Mr. Silverdale will turn up. Is he usually late?”
“One never can tell with him, sir. Some days he comes home to dinner and works late in his study. Other times he’s out of the house from breakfast-time and doesn’t get back till all hours. He might be here in five minutes now, or he mightn’t come home till two in the morning.”
Dr. Ringwood felt that he had extracted
