ps, shy. After luncheon, however, Clara asked her if she
would sing, and she complied, showing considerable skill with her
accompaniment, and singing a simple song in good taste and with a
sweet voice. Arnold observed, however, that there was some weakness
about the letter "h," less common among Americans than among the
English. Presently he went away, and the girl, who had been aware that
he was watching her, breathed more easily.

"Who is your Cousin Arnold?" she asked.

"My dear, he is my cousin but not yours. You will not see him often,
because he is going to be married, I am sorry to say, and to be
married beneath him--oh, it is dreadful! to some tradesman's girl, my
dear."

"Dreadful!" said Iris with a queer look in her eyes. "Well, cousin, I
don't want to see much of him. He's a good-looking chap, too, though
rather too finicking for my taste. I like a man who looks as if he
could knock another man down. Besides, he looks at me as if I was a
riddle, and he wanted to find out the answer."

In the evening Arnold found that no change had come over the old man.
He was, however, perfectly happy, so that, considering the ruin of his
worldly prospects, it was, perhaps, as well that he had parted, for a
time, at least, with his wits. Some worldly misfortunes there are
which should always produce this effect.

"You told me," said Lala Roy, "that another Iris had just come from
America to claim an inheritance of your cousin."

"Yes; it is a very strange coincidence."

"Very strange. Two Englishmen die in America at the same time, each
having a daughter named Iris, and each daughter entitled to some kind
of inheritance."

Lala Roy spoke slowly, and with meaning.

"Oh!" cried Arnold. "It is more than strange. Do you think--is it
possible--"

He could not for the moment clothe his thoughts in words.

"Do you know if any one has brought this girl to England?"

"Yes; she was brought over by a young American physician, one of the
family who adopted and brought her up."

"What is he like--the young American physician?"

"I have not seen him."

"Go, my young friend, to-morrow morning, and ask your cousin if this
photograph resembles the American physician."

It was the photograph of a handsome young fellow, with strongly marked
features, apparently tall and well-set-up.

"Lala, you don't really suspect anything--you don't think--"

"Hush! I know who has stolen the papers. Perhaps the same man has
produced t