oice. "I daresay that I
shall get to the bottom of it."

With that he left them and went back into the Castle.

At the sight of his back Olivia breathed so deep a sigh of relief that
Grey winced at it.

"If only it could be proved that Egbert did commit suicide!" she said
wistfully.

"I don't see any chance of it," said Colonel Grey gloomily. Then he
added in a tone of but faint hope: "Unless he wrote to one of his friends
that he intended to commit suicide."

Olivia shook her head and said: "Egbert wouldn't do that. He hated
letter-writing."

"Besides, if he had, we should have heard of it by now," said Grey.

"The friend might be away," said Olivia. "I know that Mr. Outhwaite was
in France."

"That's hoping too much," said Grey.

They strolled on in silence, his eyes on her thoughtful face, which under
Mr. Flexen's questioning had again grown anxious. Then he said: "This sun
is awfully hot. Let's stroll through the wood to the pavilion. It will be
delightful there."

"Very well," said Olivia, smiling at him.

Mr. Flexen went back to his room, rang for Holloway, and bade him find
Mr. Manley, if he were in, and ask him to come to him. Holloway went, and
presently returned to say that Mr. Manley had gone out to lunch, but left
word that he would be back to dinner.

Mr. Flexen, therefore, gave his mind to the consideration of his talk
with Colonel Grey and Olivia, and the longer he considered it, the more
their attitude intrigued and puzzled him. They certainly knew something
about the murder, something of the first importance. What could it be?

Again he asked himself could either, or both of them, have actually had
a hand in it? It seemed improbable; but he was used to the improbable
happening. He could not believe that either of them would have dreamt of
committing murder to gain a personal end--to save themselves, for
example, from the injuries with which Lord Loudwater had threatened them.
But would they commit murder to save some one else, one to save the
other, for example, from such an injury? Murder was, indeed, a violent
measure; but Mr. Flexen was inclined to think that either of them might
take it. Mr. Manley's confident declaration that they were both creatures
of strong emotions had impressed him. He felt that Colonel Grey, under
the impulse to save Lady Loudwater, would stick at very little; and he
was used to violence and to hold human life cheap. On the other hand,
Lady Loudwater would go