e been any one
with whom he was familiar."

"No. He need not. But are you quite sure that the wound wasn't
self-inflicted--that it wasn't a case of suicide?" said Mr. Manley.

"No, I'm not; and I don't think that that doctor--what's his name?
Thornhill--can be sure either. But why should Lord Loudwater have
committed suicide?"

"Well, he had found out, or thought he had found out, something about
Lady Loudwater, and was threatening to start an action against her for
divorce. At least, so her maid told me this morning. And as he wholly
lacked balance, he might in a fury of jealousy have made away with
himself," said Mr. Manley thoughtfully.

"Was he so fond of Lady Loudwater?" said Mr. Flexen in a somewhat
doubtful tone.

He had heard stories about Lord Loudwater's treatment of his wife.

"He didn't show any great fondness for her, I'm bound to say. In fact,
he was always bullying her. But he wouldn't need to be very fond of any
one to go crazy with jealousy about her. He was a man of strong passions
and quite unbalanced. I suppose he had been so utterly spoilt as a
child, a boy, and a young man, that he never acquired any power of
self-control at all."

"M'm, I should have thought that in that case he'd have been more likely
to murder the man," said Mr. Flexen.

"He was," said Mr. Manley in ready agreement. "But the other's always
possible."

"Yes; one has to bear every possibility in mind," said Mr. Flexen. "I've
heard that he was a bad-tempered man."

"He was the most unpleasant brute I ever came across in my life," said
Mr. Manley with heartfelt conviction.

"Then he had enemies?" said Mr. Flexen.

"Scores, I should think. But, of course, I don't know. Only I can't
conceive his having had a friend," said Mr. Manley in a tone of some
bitterness.

"Then it's certainly a case with possibilities," said Mr. Flexen in a
pleased tone. "But I expect that the solution will be quite simple. It
generally is."

He said it rather sadly, as if he would have much preferred the solution
to be difficult.

"Let's hope so. A big newspaper fuss will be detestable for Lady
Loudwater. She's a charming creature," said Mr. Manley.

"So I've heard. Do you know who the man was that Loudwater was making a
fuss about?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. Probably the maid, Elizabeth Twitcher,
will be able to tell you," said Mr. Manley.

Mr. Flexen walked across the room and drew the knife out of the pad of
blotting-paper b