"I don't want a better case. I only want some evidence. It's true enough that Mrs. Manley told me that she told Manley that Lord Loudwater proposed to halve her allowance. But where's the evidence that she talked to him about it? She'd deny it if you put her into the witness-box, and you can't put her into the witness-box." "Husband and wife, by Jove! Oh, the clever young scoundrel!" cried Mr. Carrington. "And that halving of the allowance is the beginning of the whole business. Manley had made up his mind to marry a lady with a fixed income--indeed, they were probably already engaged. Loudwater upsets the arrangement. Manley restores the _status quo_ by means of this cheque and the murder of Loudwater. Of course, he hated Loudwater--he admitted as much to me--more than once. But if Loudwater had played fair about that allowance, he'd be alive now. Having established the _status quo,_ Manley promptly marries the lady, and closes the mouth of the only person who can bear witness that the allowance was in danger and he had any motive for murdering Loudwater." Mr. Carrington ground his teeth and murmured: "The infernal young scoundrel!" Then he broke out violently: "But we're not beaten yet. Now that we know for a fact that he murdered Loudwater and why, there must be some way of getting at him." "I very much doubt it," said Flexen sadly. "He's an uncommonly able fellow. I don't believe that he's taken a chance. He wears a glove and leaves the knife in the wound, so that there are no bloodstains. And consider the cheque. The bank wouldn't have honoured Loudwater's own cheque, the cheque of a dead man, but the stock-broker's cheque goes through as a matter of course." "Of course," said Mr. Carrington. "And he has kept the business so entirely in his own hands. If we had run in any one else, he'd have come forward and sworn that he heard Loudwater snore after Roper had seen that person leave the Castle. I'm beginning to think that he's one of the most able murderers I ever heard of. I certainly never came across one in my own experience who was a patch on him," said Mr. Flexen. "Don't be in such a hurry to lose hope. There must be some way of getting at him--there must be," said Mr. Carrington obstinately. "I'm glad to hear it," said Mr. Flexen in a tone of utter scepticism. They walked on, Mr. Flexen reflecting on Mr. Manley's ability, Mr. Carrington cudgelling his brains for a method of bringing his crime home to him. At the door of his office Mr. Flexen held out his hand. "Come along in. I've got an idea," said Mr. Carrington. CHAPTER XVII Mr. Flexen shrugged his shoulders with a sceptical air. He had not formed a high opinion of Mr. Carrington's intelligence. However, he followed him into his office and sat down, ready to give him his best attention. Mr. Carrington wore a really hopeful expression, and he said: "My idea is that we should get at Manley through Mrs. Manley."