aw might easily become a dead letter--absolutely a dead letter."

"But there's no fear of everybody doing anything of the kind. The ruck
of men have no private judgment to claim the right of. They take
whatever's given them in the way of morals by their pastors and masters.
Only exceptional people have ideas of their own to carry out; and there
are not enough exceptional people to make much difference," said Mr.
Manley calmly.

"But, all the same, such principles are subversive of society--absolutely
subversive of society," said Mr. Carrington warmly, and his square,
massive face was growing redder.

"I daresay," said Mr. Manley amiably. "But if any one chooses to have
them, and act on them, what are you going to do about it? For example, if
I happened to know who had murdered Lord Loudwater and did not choose to
tell, how could you make me?"

"If there were many people with such principles about, society would
soon find out a way of protecting itself," said the lawyer, in the
accents of one whose tenderest sensibilities are being outraged.

"It would have to have recourse to torture then," said Mr. Manley
cheerfully.

"But let me remind you that it is a crime to be an accessory before, or
after, the fact to murder," said the lawyer in a tone of some triumph.

"Oh, I'm not going as far as that," said Mr. Manley. "A man might very
well approve of a murder without being willing to further it."

Mr. Flexen laughed and said: "I understand Mr. Manley's point
of view. Sometimes I have felt inclined to be judge as well as
investigator--especially in the East."

"And you followed your inclination," said Mr. Manley with amiable
certainty.

"Perhaps--perhaps not," said Mr. Flexen, smiling at him.

"The war has upset everything. I never heard such ideas before the war,"
grumbled the lawyer.

There was a silence as Holloway brought in the coffee and cigars.

When he had gone, Mr. Flexen said in an almost fretful tone: "It's an
extraordinary thing that Lord Loudwater kept so few papers."

"I don't know," said Mr. Manley carelessly. "During the six months I've
been here we were never stuck for want of a paper. He seemed to me to
have kept all that were necessary."

"It's the destroying of his pass-books that seems so odd to me," said
the lawyer. "A man must often want to know how he spent his money in a
given year."

"I'm sure I never want to," said Mr. Manley. "And certainly pass-books
are unattractive-looking ob