"Does he ever come into contact with any one who is not dependent on him? I believe he shuns them like the pest." "Not into close contact," she said--"at any rate, nowadays. But I've known him to do good-natured things; and then he's very fond of his horses." "That makes the way he treats every human being who is in any way dependent on him all the more disgusting," said Mr. Manley firmly. "Oh, I don't know. It's something to be fond of animals," she said tolerantly. "This morning he had a devil of a row with Hutchings, the butler, you know, and discharged him." "That was a silly thing to do. Hutchings is not at all a good person to have a row with," she said quickly. "I should say that he was a far more dangerous brute than Loudwater and much more intelligent. Still, I don't know what he could do. What was the row about?" "Some woman sent Loudwater an anonymous letter accusing Hutchings of having received commissions from the wine merchants." "That would be Elizabeth Twitcher's mother. Elizabeth and Hutchings were engaged, and about ten days ago he jilted her," said Mrs. Truslove. "I suppose that when he was in love with her he bragged about these commissions to her and she told her mother." "Her mother has certainly taken it out of him for jilting her daughter. But what an unsavoury place the castle is!" said Mr. Manley. "With such a master--what can you expect?" said Mrs. Truslove. "Did the hog say anything more about halving my allowance?" Mr. Manley frowned. A few days before he had been greatly surprised to learn from Lord Loudwater that the bulk of Helena Truslove's income was an allowance from him. The matter had greatly exercised his mind. Why should his employer allow her six hundred a year? It was a matter which should be cleared up. He said slowly: "Yes, he did. He asked what you said when I told you that he was going to halve it, and he did not seem to like the idea of your seeing him about it." "He'll like my seeing him about it even less than the idea of it," said Mrs. Truslove firmly, and there was a sudden gleam in her wild black eyes. Mr. Manley looked at her, frowning faintly. Then he said in a rather hesitating manner: "I've never asked you about it. But why does the hog make you this allowance?" "That's my dark past," she said in a teasing tone, smiling at him. "I suppose that as we're going to be married so soon I ought to make a clean breast of it, if you really want to know." "Just as you like," said Mr. Manley, his face clearing a little at her careless tone.