I went up the steps and stood just inside the door.
A policeman appeared from nowhere.
'Do you want anything?' he said.
'No,' I said. 'No.'
'You can't wait here,' he said.
'I'm sorry,' I said. I went back towards the steps into the street.
'Excuse me, Madam,' he said, 'aren't you Mrs de Winter?'
'Yes,' I said.
'Of course that's different,' he said; 'you can wait here if you like.
Would you like to take a seat just inside this room?'
"Thank you,' I said.
He showed me into a little bare room with a desk in it.
It was like a waiting-room at a station.
I sat there, with my hands on my lap.
Five minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
It was worse than being outside, than sitting in the car.
I got up and went into the passage.
The policeman was still standing there.
'How long will they be?' I said.
'I'll go and enquire if you like,' he said.
He disappeared along the passage. In a moment he came back again.
'I don't think they will be very much longer,' he said.
'Mr de Winter has just given his evidence.
Captain Searle, and the diver, and Doctor Phillips have already given theirs.
There's only one more to speak.
Mr Tabb, the boat-builder from Kerrith.'
"Then it's nearly over,' I said.
'I expect so, Madam,' he said. Then he said, on a sudden thought, 'Would you like to hear the remaining evidence?
There is a seat there, just inside the door.
If you slip in now nobody will notice you.'
'Yes,' I said.
'Yes, I think I will.'
It was nearly over.
Maxim had finished giving his evidence.
I did not mind hearing the rest.
It was Maxim I had not wanted to hear.
I had been nervous of listening to his evidence.
That was why I had not gone with him and Frank in the first place.
Now it did not matter.
His part of it was over.
I followed the policeman, and he opened a door at the end of the passage.
I slipped in, I sat down just by the door.
I kept my head low so that I did not have to look at anybody.
The room was smaller than I had imagined.
Rather hot and stuffy.
I had pictured a great bare room with benches, like a church.
Maxim and Frank were sitting down at the other end.
The Coroner was a thin, elderly man in pince-nez.
There were people there I did not know.