The Case of the Conductor's Missing Baton

An Italian conductor's silver-chased baton - a royal gift - vanishes from his dressing-room minutes before the platform. Five people had business backstage.

Section I

The Scene

Victorian newspaper-style illustration for The Case of the Conductor's Missing Baton, set at Wigmore Concert Hall, dressing-room behind the stage.

Hand-drawn case map for The Case of the Conductor's Missing Baton, showing Wigmore Concert Hall, dressing-room behind the stage. — The ground in question.

Setting: Wigmore Concert Hall, dressing-room behind the stage
Time: Tuesday evening, second Tuesday of May 1894
Weather: Mild; a fine evening; the orchestra audible from the platform above
Atmosphere: A small dressing-room scented with rosin and pomade; a mirror-shelf scattered with cuff-links; the orchestra's tuning-A persistent through the wall.

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