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Lord St. Simon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows.

"We have been on a friendly footing for some years-I may say on a

very friendly footing. She used to be at the Allegro. I have not

treated her ungenerously, and she had no just cause of complaint

against me, but you know what women are, Mr. Holmes. Flora was a

dear little thing, but exceedingly hot-headed and devotedly

attached to me. She wrote me dreadful letters when she heard that

I was about to be married, and, to tell the truth, the reason why

I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was that I feared lest

there might be a scandal in the church. She came to Mr. Doran's

door just after we returned, and she endeavoured to push her way

in, uttering very abusive expressions towards my wife, and even

threatening her, but I had foreseen the possibility of something

of the sort, and I had two police fellows there in private

clothes, who soon pushed her out again.