He lost interest in the Fitch menage as he saw that Marta had spotted him. He indicated that he would meet her at the door, and plunged once more into the suffocating depths. Marta, being the more ruthless of the two, did the double distance in half the time and was waiting for him in the doorway.

'Who is the beautiful young man? she asked, looking backwards as they moved to the stairs.

'He came looking for Walter Whitmore. He says he's a friend of Cooney Wiggin.

'Says? repeated Marta, being caustic not about the young man but about Grant.

'The police mind, Grant said apologetically.

'And who is Cooney Wiggin, anyhow?

'Cooney was one of the best-known press photographers in the States. He was killed while photographing one of those Balkan flare-ups a year or two ago.

'You know everything, don't you.

It was on the tip of Grant's tongue to say: 'Anyone but an actress would have known that, but he liked Marta. Instead he said: 'He is going down to Salcott for the weekend, I understand.

'The beautiful young man? Well, well. I hope Lavinia knows what she is doing.

'What is wrong with having him down?

'I don't know, but it seems to me to be taking risks with their luck.

'Luck?

'Everything has worked out the way they wanted it to, hasn't it? Walter saved from Marguerite Merriam and settling down to marry Liz; all family together in the old homestead and too cosy for words. No time to go introducing disconcertingly beautiful young men into the menage, it seems to me.

'Disconcerting, murmured Grant, wondering again what had disconcerted him about Searle. Mere good looks could not have been responsible. Policemen are not impressed by good looks.

'I wager that Emma takes one look at him and gets him out of the house directly after breakfast on Monday morning, Marta said. 'Her darling Liz is going to marry Walter, and nothing is going to stop that if Emma has anything to do with it.