e embellishments natural to
the lapse of time since its first telling. No less naturally in the
course of the discussion which followed, he told also the story of the
luckless kiss in the East wood, and the landlord pounced on that as the
cause of the quarrel between Lord Loudwater and Colonel Grey at
Bellingham. William Roper supported his contention with an embellished
account of the interview with Lord Loudwater in which he had informed him
of that kiss.

It was, indeed, his great hour, not as great as the hour he had promised
himself at the trial, not so public, but a great hour.

He left the "Bull and Gate" at closing time that night a man, in the
estimation of all there, whose evidence could hang four of his
fellow-creatures, the great man of the village.

Next morning the village was indeed simmering, and the scandal rose and
spread from it like a stench. That very afternoon Mr. Manley heard it
from Helena Truslove, and the next morning Mr. Flexen received two
anonymous letters conveying the information to him, and suggesting that
Colonel Grey and the Lady Loudwater had between them made away with her
husband. It is hard to say whether Mr. Manley or Mr. Flexen was more
annoyed by William Roper's blabbing.

But there was nothing to be done. The scandal must run its course. Mr.
Flexen did not think that it would find its way into the papers, local or
London. None the less, he was alive to the danger that a sudden heavy
pressure might be put on the police, and he might be forced to take
ill-advised action, start a prosecution which would do Lady Loudwater
infinite harm, and yet end in a fiasco which would leave the mystery just
where it was. The one bright spot in the affair was that Lord Loudwater
appeared to have left no friends behind him who would make it their
business to see that he was avenged. As long as that avenging was
everybody's business it was nobody's business.

Elizabeth Twitcher was no less disturbed than Mr. Flexen. She felt that
Olivia ought to be informed of what was being said that she might be able
to take steps to meet the danger. She took counsel with James Hutchings,
who could not help feeling relieved by this diversion of suspicion, and
he agreed with her that Olivia should be informed of the scandal at once.
But it was an uncommonly unpleasant task, and she shrank from it.

Then a happy thought came to James Hutchings, and he said: "Look here:
let Mr. Manley do it. He's her ladyship'