“May I interrupt again one minute, sir? Before you leave the incident on the Duke of York’s Steps—can you say definitely whether or not the man who stumbled against Sir Garth actually struck him? Struck him with his fist, that is to say, or some instrument, with sufficient force to cause his death?” Hessel stared at the Inspector with surprise. “I see,” he said. “That’s what you’ve got in your mind? I wonder what put the idea there—still, I suppose that’s not my business. No, I should say myself pretty definitely that such a thing did not occur. I feel quite sure that I must have been aware if any force of that kind had been used. Besides, there were any number of people about—there is always a stream of them going that way towards Victoria and Waterloo at that time of day. Some of them must surely have noticed if any blow had been struck.” Poole thought over this point for a moment; it seemed unanswerable. “I see, sir,” he said. “There really were, then, a lot of witnesses of the occurrence?” “Any number. A small crowd collected round us at once.” “You didn’t take any of their names, I suppose?” “I didn’t; it never occurred to me to—the whole thing was a pure accident and at the time I thought it unimportant. If Sir Garth had fallen dead at once, it might have been different; but, as you know, he did not do so till after we had crossed the Mall. By that time they had probably all dispersed, and in any case I am afraid I was so upset that I didn’t think of it—only of getting him home as quickly as possible.” “I quite understand, sir,” said Poole. “Now about the actual death. You said that you had crossed the Mall.” “Yes, we crossed the Mall all right and were walking towards the Guards Memorial when he suddenly staggered, made a sort of choking, gasping sound and sank to the ground. He nearly pulled me down with him. I had my arm linked through his, as I told you. I believe he died almost at once, though I did not realize it at the time.” “It must have been a great shock for you, sir. I suppose there was no further accident just before the fall?” “Oh no, nothing. Evidently it was the result of the shock he received on the steps. After all, it was only a hundred yards or so away.” “And the man concerned, of course, had disappeared by then?” “Absolutely. I never saw or heard of him again.” Poole thought for a while, trying to find some fresh line of approach. “It’s probably quite immaterial,” he said at last, “but could you by any chance tell me what was the subject of your conversation with Sir Garth that evening? You said that you were so engrossed in it that you went out of your way.” The slight raising of Hessel’s eyebrows had a curious effect of rebuke upon the detective.