Part 9 (1/2)

”A trap? What kind of a trap? What on earth do you mean?” said Mr.

Manley, in a not unnatural bewilderment at the odd suggestion.

”You might be trying to take her off her guard,” said Elizabeth Twitcher in a tone of deep suspicion.

”Her guard against what?” said Mr. Manley, still bewildered.

Elizabeth's Twitcher's eyes lost some of their suspicion, and he heard her breathe a faint sigh of relief.

”I thought as 'ow--as how some of them might have told you what his lords.h.i.+p was going to do to her, and that she--she stuck that knife into him so as to stop it,” she said.

”What on earth are you talking about? What was his lords.h.i.+p going to do to her?” cried Mr. Manley, in a tone of yet greater bewilderment.

”He was going to divorce her ladys.h.i.+p. He told her so last night when I was doing her hair for dinner,” said Elizabeth Twitcher.

She paused and stared at him, frowning. Then she went on: ”And, like a fool, I went and talked about it--to some one else.”

Mr. Manley glared at her in a momentary speechlessness; then found his voice and cried: ”But, gracious heavens! You don't suspect her ladys.h.i.+p of having murdered Lord Loudwater?”

”No, I don't. But there'll be plenty as will,” said Elizabeth Twitcher with conviction.

”It's absurd!” cried Mr. Manley.

Elizabeth Twitcher shook her head.

”You must allow as she had reason enough--for a lady, that is. He was always swearing at her and abusing her, and it isn't at all the kind of thing a lady can stand. And this divorce coming on the top of it all,”

she said in a dispa.s.sionate tone.

”You mustn't talk like this! There's no saying what trouble you may make!” cried Mr. Manley in a tone of stern severity.

”I'm not going to talk like that--only to you, sir. You're a gentleman, and it's safe. What I'm afraid of is that I've talked too much already--last night that is,” she said despondently.

”Well, don't make it worse by talking any more. And let me know when your mistress is dressed, and I'll come up and break the news of this shocking affair to her.”

”Very good, sir,” said Elizabeth, and with a gloomy face and depressed air she went back into the Castle.

She had scarcely disappeared, when Holloway came out to tell Mr. Manley that his breakfast was ready for him in the little dining-room. Mr.

Manley set about it with the firmness of a man preparing himself against a strenuous day. The frown with which Elizabeth Twitcher's suggestion had puckered his brow faded from it slowly, as the excellence of the chop he was eating soothed him. Holloway waited on him, and Mr. Manley asked him whether any of the servants had heard anything suspicious in the night.

Holloway a.s.sured him that none of them had.

Mr. Manley had just helped himself a second time to eggs and bacon when Wilkins brought in Robert Black, the village constable. Mr. Manley had seen him in the village often enough, a portly, grave man, who regarded his position and work with the proper official seriousness. Mr. Manley told him that he had locked the door of the smoking-room and of the library, in order that the scene of the crime might be left undisturbed for examination by the Low Wycombe police. Robert Black did not appear pleased by this precaution. He would have liked to demonstrate his importance by making some preliminary investigations himself. Mr. Manley did not offer to hand the keys over to him. He intended to have the credit of the precautions he had taken with the constable's superiors.

He said: ”I suppose you would like to question the servants to begin with. Take the constable to the servants' hall, give him a gla.s.s of beer, and let him get to work, Wilkins.”

He spoke in the imperative tone proper to a man in charge of such an important affair, and Robert Black went. Mr. Manley could not see that the grave fellow could do any harm by his questions, or, for that matter, any good.

He finished his breakfast and lighted his pipe. Elizabeth Twitcher came to tell him that Lady Loudwater was dressed. He told her to tell her that he would like to see her, and followed her up the stairs. The maid went into Lady Loudwater's sitting-room, came out, and ushered him into it.

His strong sense of the fitness of things caused him to enter the room slowly, with an air grave to solemnity. Olivia greeted him with a faint, rather forced smile.