at bad luck!

WINSOR. He must have been followed here. [At the window] After rain
like that, there ought to be footmarks.

The splutter of a motor cycle is heard.

MARGARET. Here's the wind!

WINSOR. What's the move now, General?

CANYNGE. You and I had better see the Inspector in De Levis's room,
WINSOR. [To the others] If you'll all be handy, in case he wants to put
questions for himself.

MARGARET. I hope he'll want me; it's just too thrilling.

DANCY. I hope he won't want me; I'm dog-tired. Come on, Mabel. [He
puts his arm in his wife's].

CANYNGE. Just a minute, Charles.

He draws dose to WINSOR as the others are departing to their rooms.

WINSOR. Yes, General?

CANYNGE. We must be careful with this Inspector fellow. If he pitches
hastily on somebody in the house it'll be very disagreeable.

WINSOR. By Jove! It will.

CANYNGE. We don't want to rouse any ridiculous suspicion.

WINSOR. Quite. [A knock] Come in!

TREISURE enters.

TREISURE. Inspector Dede, Sir.

WINSOR. Show him in.

TREISURE. Robert is in readiness, sir; but I could swear he knows
nothing about it.

WINSOR. All right.

TREISURE re-opens the door, and says "Come in, please." The
INSPECTOR enters, blue, formal, moustachioed, with a peaked cap in
his hand.

WINSOR. Good evening, Inspector. Sorry to have brought you out at this
time of night.

INSPECTOR. Good evenin', sir. Mr WINSOR? You're the owner here, I
think?

WINSOR. Yes. General Canynge.

INSPECTOR. Good evenin', General. I understand, a large sum of money?

WINSOR. Yes. Shall we go straight to the room it was taken from? One
of my guests, Mr De Levis. It's the third room on the left.

CANYNGE. We've not been in there yet, Inspector; in fact, we've done
nothing, except to find out that the stable ladder has not been moved.
We haven't even searched the grounds.

INSPECTOR. Right, sir; I've brought a man with me.

They go out.

CURTAIN. And interval of a Minute.

SCENE II

[The same set is used for this Scene, with the different arrangement
of furniture, as specified.]

The bedroom of DE LEVIS is the same in shape as WINSOR'S
dressing-room, except that there is only one door--to the
corridor. The furniture, however, is differently arranged; a
small four-poster bedstead stands against the wall, Right Back,
jutting into the ro