“H’m! Did you sec much of Mrs Blake?”

“Very little. I used to see her on occasions playing ping-pong. They have a table on the back veranda. We can see it from the fence. They must have lost a ball when playing, because Mr Pickwick brought one in from their garden. He will wander at night, although why I don’t know, because I had him doctored and he’s quite, quite happy about it.”

“I read of the affair in the Melbourne papers,” Bony murmured.“About the sudden death of Mr Mervyn Blake. There was a house full of guests, I understand.”

“Oh yes, there was a house party for a week before Mr Blake died,” Miss Pinkney said. “Several well known people, you know. TheBlakes often had writers and personalities staying with them. But they wouldn’t associate with anyone in the district. Er -well, you know what I mean.”

Bony was not sure that he did know. He said, “It was most peculiar Mr Blake dying so suddenly. I wonder if he was tired oflife? ”

“Not a bit of it,” Miss Pinkney cheerfully stated. “No man who drinks like he did would think of ending his life. He was so well known. Someone told me that if he condemned a book the book was a certain failure, and it would be a success if he praised it. Oh no, there was no reason for him to commit suicide. Someone hated him enough to murder him. This evening, when it’s cool, I’ll take you into the garden and show you the little building where he died.”

Chapter Three

The People Next Door

HAVING eaten an excellent dinner, Bony was in the proper frame of mind to appreciate the view from the front veranda of Rose Cottage, Yarrabo, in the State of Victoria.