"Alas, time has hitherto meant practically nothing to me. Does it help if I say that my aunt mentioned that a most peculiar visitor was with my uncle? A fat little man, who carried his hat in his hand. She had seen him in the hall."

"Did you see this man?" asked the Sergeant quickly.

"No."

"You don't know whether he was still with your uncle when you went up to your room?"

"Sergeant, Sergeant, do you think I listen at keyholes?"

"Of course not, sir, but -'

"At least, not when I'm wholly incurious," explained Neville, temporising.

"Well, sir, we'll say that some time between 9.00 and 10.00 you went up to your room."

"At half-past nine," said Neville.

"At - A moment ago, sir, you said you had no idea what time it was!"

"Oh, I hadn't, but I remember now one solitary cuckoo."

The Sergeant shot a startled look towards Glass, standing motionless and disapproving by the door. A suspicion that the eccentric Neville Fletcher was of unsound mind had darted into his brain. "What might you mean by that, sir?"

"Only the clock on the landing," said Neville.

"A cuckoo-clock! Well, really, sir, for a moment I thought - And it struck the half-hour?"

"Yes, but it's quite often wrong."

"We'll go into that presently. Which way does your room face, sir?"

"North."

"It's at the back of the house, then? Would it be possible for you to hear anyone coming up the side path?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear anyone, but I wasn't trying to.

"Quite," said the Sergeant. "Well, I think that'll be all for the present, thank you, sir. Of course, you understand that you will not be able to leave this house for a day or two? Just a matter of routine, you know. We'll hope it won't be long before we get the whole thing cleared up."

"Yes, let's," agreed Neville. His gaze dwelt speculatively on a picture on the wall opposite the fireplace. "It wouldn't be robbery, would it?"