you," she said, sinking down upon the arm of an easy-chair.
"first of all, then, Arthur is here because he is my brother."

"Your brother!" Laverick repeated wonderingly.

Somehow or other, he had never associated Morrison with relations.
Besides, this meant that she must be of his race. There was nothing
in her face to denote it except the darkness of her eyes, and that
nameless charm of manner, a sort of ultra-sensitiveness, which
belongs sometimes to the highest type of Jews. It was not a quality,
Laverick thought, which he should have associated with Morrison's
sister.

"My brother, in a way," she resumed. "Arthur's father was a widower
and my mother was a widow when they were married. You are surprised?"

"There is no reason why I should be," he answered, curiously relieved
at her last statement. "Your brother and I have been connected in
business for some years. We have seen very little of one another
outside."

"I dare say," she continued, still timidly, "that Arthur's friends
would not be your friends, and that he wouldn't care for the same
sort of things. You see, my mother is dead and also his father, and
as we aren't really related at all, I cannot expect that he would
come to see me very often. Last night, though, quite late--long
after I had gone to bed--he rang the bell here. I was frightened,
for just now I am all alone, and my servant only comes in the
morning. So I looked out of the window and I saw him on the
pavement, huddled up against the door. I hurried down and let him
in. Mr. Laverick," she went on, with an appealing glance at him,
"I have never seen any one look like it. He was terrified to death.
Something seemed to have happened which had taken away from him
even the power of speech. He pushed past me into this room, threw
himself into that chair," she added, pointing across the room, "and
he sobbed and beat his hands upon his knees as though he were a
woman in a fit of hysterics. His clothes were all untidy, he was
as pale as death, and his eyes looked as though they were ready
to start out of his head."

"You must indeed have been frightened," Laverick said softly.

"Frightened! I shall never forget it! I did not sleep all night.
He would tell me nothing--he has scarcely spoken a sensible word.
Early this morning I persuaded him to go upstairs, and made him
lie down. He has taken two draughts which I bought from the chemist,
but he has not slept. Every now and th