of this kind, a
scandal which may bring him this money, but which will certainly bring
odium on him?" said Mr. Flexen.

"When it's a case of bringing a murderer to justice," said Mr. Carrington
obstinately.

"The murderer of a man he hated like poison? I should think that he'd
want to see his way pretty clear. And it isn't clear--not by any means.
For there's precious little chance of Mrs. Manley's giving Lord
Loudwater's threat to halve her allowance as the reason of her visit to
him that night. In fact, there's no chance at all. Manley will see to
that. Once attack the genuineness of that signature, and you open his
eyes to his danger. She'll come into the witness-box with quite another
reason for that visit, and a good reason too. Manley will find it for
her," said Mr. Flexen with conviction. "But there's the quarrel. She
can't get over that quarrel," said Mr. Carrington stubbornly.

"She'll deny the quarrel. It's only Mrs. Carruthers' word against hers.
Besides, Mrs. Carruthers heard what she did hear through a closed door.
It will be so easy to make out that she made a mistake."

"You seem to take it for granted that Mrs. Manley will commit perjury at
that young scoundrel's bidding," snapped Mr. Carrington.

"I take it for granted that she'll be a woman fighting to save her
husband. And I'm also sure that there'll be precious few mistakes in
tactics made in the fight. I think that all you'll get out of the trial
will be a strong presumption that Lord Loudwater committed suicide. I'd
bet that that is the line Manley will take. And she'll make a thundering
good witness for him. She's a good-looking woman, with plenty of
intelligence."

Mr. Carrington gazed at him with unhappy eyes. His square, massive face
had lost utterly its expression of triumph.

"But hang it all!" he cried. "What are we going to do? Knowing what we
know, we can't sit still and do nothing."

"I can't see _anything_ we can do," said Mr. Flexen frankly, and he rose.
"You have demonstrated that Manley's position is impregnable."

He took his leave of the dejected lawyer.

Outside Mr. Carrington's office he stood still, hesitating. He could have
caught a train back to Low Wycombe, but he could not bring himself to
take it. He could not at once tear himself away from London and Mr.
Manley. He must sleep on the new facts in the Loudwater case. He went to
his club, engaged a bedroom, and dined there.

Mr. and Mrs. Manley dined at their flat