ill have nothing further to do with her or hers," he replied, with
determined quiet, knocking the ashes from his pipe. "I have other and
better business in the world."

"I don't believe it is better business. Now, wait a moment, I have
something to tell of my own evening. While you were gone I 'phoned
Uncle Harrison and Aunt Nancy about that debt of my great-aunt--who
came to me through Viola to-day; they knew nothing about it, but they
set to work looking over her old papers, and found that there was a
sealed letter addressed to a doctor in Michigan, and in the letter was
a check made out to him and which she intended to send him. Now, what
do you think of that?"

"I don't see that that has any necessary connection with your
experience this afternoon."

"But it does. I'm sure of it. Auntie felt grateful to this young
doctor and wanted to reward him. Morton, it was a big check!" She
uttered this impressively.

"Was it? How much?"

"Five thousand dollars."

He faced her with a whistle of surprise. "Well, well! that isn't so
amusing. Are we to pay it? Is that the idea?"

"If I am sure--if the letter is what they 'phoned it to be, we've got
to pay it, I'm her sole legatee, and she was very angry because it
hadn't been paid; but that's not the really important part. How did
Viola Lambert know of that letter--and that check?"

He was deeply impressed, and did not try to conceal it. "That is very
puzzling; but it may be a case of mind-reading, which, I believe, the
modern psychologists admit has been proved." He began to muse. "It may
be, as Weissmann says, that there is always some basis for a claim
such as Clarke makes for this girl. It may be that she has a faculty
for reading what lies in the brain of another--"

"Morton Serviss, you shall not condemn that girl unheard. You have
taken Britt's word about her, and you've listened to my story, but you
must see her yourself and talk with her alone, so that she will be
free to tell you just how she feels."

"No. I am going to bed and try to forget the whole disconcerting
group."

"That's the way with you scientists. You'll pursue the tail of a
comet--or a germ--till you're black in the face, but when something
really important to the human race comes under your nose you can't see
it."

"You're forceful but not elegant, sis."

"I'm out of all patience with you."

He laughed. "Good-night."

"I hope that girl's face will haunt you," she replied.

It did. Fr