She might die at any moment, and then he would be left with no means of
redress against her estate because she had no estate. Of course, if she
first insured her life out of her dress allowance and handed the policy
to him it would constitute protection for the repayment of the advance,
in the event of her death, but it was not any real protection in the
event of her continuing to live, for a newly-executed policy had no
surrender value. As his own legal adviser, Mr. Mattingford strongly urged
himself not to consider his wife's proposal, and such was his respect for
the law and for those who had been brought up in a legal atmosphere that
he had no hesitation in accepting the advice.
He was a little man of nearly fifty years, with a very bald head and an
extremely long moustache, which when waxed at the ends made him look as
fierce as a clipped poodle. He knew Mrs. Holymead from his having called
frequently at his chief's house in Princes Gate on business matters, and
he admired her for her good looks, but still more for her good taste in
staying away from her husband's chambers. There were some ladies, the
wives of barristers, who almost haunted their husbands' chambers--a
practice of which Mr.
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