It was a generous act.

At the same time, he could very well believe that Olivia might, unconsciously of course, be on the side of the murderer of such a husband.
Thanks to Mr.Manley's invaluable sense of what was fitting, there was no constraint about the dinner.

He had decided that they were three people of the world dining together, and the fact that there had been a murder in the house three days before and a funeral in the morning should not be allowed to impair their proper nonchalance.

At the same time, decorum must be preserved; there must be no laughter.
Accordingly he took the conversation in hand, and kept it in hand.

Mr.
Flexen was somewhat astonished at the ability with which he did it; now and again he felt as if, personally, he were performing feats on the loose wire, but that, thanks to Mr.Manley, he was not going to fall off.
They talked of the usual subjects on which people who have not a large circle of common acquaintances fall back.