She appeared greatly startled to hear of it.

But she could not suggest any reason for his having asked the question.

He then asked her about the manner in which the allowance had been paid to her, and was pleased to learn that there was little likelihood of Mr.Flexen's learning that she had received such an allowance from Lord Loudwater, for it had been paid her through a young lawyer of the name of Shepherd, at Low Wycombe, the lawyer who had dealt with the matter of the transference of the house they were in to her, from the rents of some houses Lord Loudwater owned in that town, and that lawyer was somewhere in Mesopotamia, his practice in abeyance.
She was in entire accord with Mr.Manley about the advantage of her name not being connected in any way with the tragedy at the Castle.

She pointed out that it was also an advantage that she had just, been paid her allowance for the present quarter, and there would not be another payment for three months.

By that time it was probable that the murder would have passed out of people's minds and Mr.Flexen be busy with other work.