ht have drawn an
inference, the rustle of a woman's draperies was heard. Rising, Peter
found himself facing a tall, rather slender woman of between thirty-five
and forty. It did not need a second glance from even Peter's untrained
eye, to realize the suggestion of breeding in the whole atmosphere about
her. The gown was of the simplest summer material, but its very
simplicity, and a certain lack of "latest fashion" rather than
"old-fashionedness" gave it a quality of respectability. Every line of
the face, the set of the head, and even more the carriage of the figure,
conveyed the "look of race."

"I must thank you, Mr. Stirling," she said, speaking deliberately, in a
low, mellow voice, by no means so common then as our women's imitation
of the English tone and inflexion has since made it, "for suiting your
time to mine on such short notice."

"You were very kind," said Peter, "to comply with my request. Any time
was convenient to me."

"I am glad it suited you."

Peter had expected to be asked to sit down, but, nothing being said,
began his explanation.

"I am very grateful, Miss De Voe, for your note, and for the check. I
thank you for both. But I think you probably sent me the latter through
a mistake, and so I did not feel justified in accepting it."

"A mistake?"

"Yes. The papers made many errors in their statements. I'm not a 'poor
young lawyer' as they said. My mother is comfortably off, and gives me
an ample allowance."

"Yes?"

"And what is more," continued Peter, "while they were right in saying
that I paid some of the expenses of the case, yet I was more than repaid
by my fees in some civil suits I brought for the relatives of the
children, which we settled very advantageously."

"Won't you sit down, Mr. Stirling?" said Miss De Voe. "I should like to
hear about the cases."

Peter began a very simple narrative of the matter. But Miss De Voe
interjected questions or suppositions here and there, which led to other
explanations, and before Peter had finished, he had told not merely the
history of the cases, but much else. His mention of the two Dooley
children had brought out the fact of their visit to his mother, and this
had explained incidentally her position in the world. The settlement of
the cases involved the story of the visit to the brewer's home, and
Peter, to justify his action, added his interview with his pastor,
Peter's connection with the case compelled him to speak of his evenings