The Mousetrap

NEVILE. Let me see. Immediately after dinner I went up to my room and wrote a couple of letters—I’d been putting them off for a long time and I thought I might as well get them done. When I’d finished I came down here.

BATTLE. What time would that be?

NEVILE. I suppose it was about a quarter past nine. That’s as near as damnit, anyhow. (Battle helps himself to a cigarette.)

BATTLE. (Offering the cigarettes to Nevile.) I’m so sorry.

NEVILE. No, thank you.

BATTLE. What did you do after that? (He lights his cigarette.)

NEVILE. I talked to—to Kay, my wife, and Ted Latimer.

BATTLE. Latimer—who’s he?

NEVILE. A friend of ours who’s staying at the Easterhead Bay Hotel. He’d come over for dinner. He left soon after and everybody else went off to bed.

BATTLE. Including your wife?

NEVILE. Yes, she was feeling a bit off color.

BATTLE. (Rising.) I understand there was some sort of—unpleasantness?

NEVILE. Oh—(He looks at Treves.) you’ve heard about that, have you? It was purely a domestic quarrel. Can’t have anything to do with this horrible business.

BATTLE. I see. (He crosses below the table and moves upC. After a pause.) After everybody else had gone to bed, what did you do then?

NEVILE. I was a bit bored. It was still fairly early and I decided to go across to the Easterhead Bay Hotel.

BATTLE. In the storm? It had broken by this time, surely?

NEVILE. Yes, it had. But it didn’t worry me. I went upstairs to change . . .

BATTLE. (Moving quickly to Nevile, breaking in quickly.) Change into what, Mr. Strange?

NEVILE. I was wearing a dinner jacket. As I proposed to take the ferry across the river and it was raining pretty heavily, I changed. Into a grey pinstripe—(He pauses.) if it interests you.

BATTLE. (After a pause.) Go on, Mr. Strange.

NEVILE. (Showing signs of increasing nervousness.) I went up to change, as I said. I was passing Lady Tressilian’s door, which was ajar, when she called, “Is that you, Nevile?” and asked me to come in. I went in and—and we chatted for a bit.

BATTLE. How long were you with her?

NEVILE. About twenty minutes, I suppose. When I left her I went to my room, changed, and hurried off. I took the latchkey with me because I expected to be late.

BATTLE. What time was it then?

NEVILE. (Reflectively.) About half past ten, I should think, I just caught the ten-thirty-five ferry and went across to the Easterhead side of the river. I had a drink or two with Latimer at the hotel and watched the dancing. Then we had a game of billiards. In the end I found I’d missed the last ferry back. It goes at one-thirty. Latimer very decently got out his car and drove me home. It’s fifteen miles round by road, you know. (He pauses.) We left the hotel at two o’clock and reached here at half past. Latimer wouldn’t come in for a drink, so I let myself in and went straight up to bed. (Battle and Treves exchange looks.)

BATTLE. (Crossing below Nevile toR. of the card table.) During your conversation with Lady Tressilian—was she quite normal in her manner? (He stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray on the card table.)

NEVILE. Oh, yes, quite.

BATTLE. (Moving above the card table.) What did you talk about?

NEVILE. This and that.

BATTLE. (Moving behind Nevile.) Amiably?

NEVILE. Of course.

BATTLE. (Moving downL. C.; smoothly.) You didn’t have a violent quarrel?

NEVILE. (Rising, angrily.) What the devil do you mean?

BATTLE. You’d better tell the truth, Mr. Strange. I’ll warn you—you were overheard.

NEVILE. (Crossing slowly below the card table toR. of it.) Well, we did have a difference of opinion. She—she disapproved of my behaviour over—over Kay and—and my first wife. I may have got a bit heated, but we parted on perfectly friendly terms. (He bangs his fist on the table. With a sudden burst of temper.) I didn’t bash her over the head because I lost my temper—if that’s what you think. (Battle moves to the chaise, picks up the niblick, then moves to L. of the card table.)

BATTLE. Is this your property, Mr. Strange?