she said slowly.

"Never mind that. Tell me, are we real sister and brother or not?"

"Jack, we are not."

"Oh, Marion!" The words almost choked him, and for the moment he could
say no more.

"We are not real sister and brother, Jack, but to me you will always be
as a real brother," and Marion caught his hand and held it tightly.

"And--and mother isn't my--my real mother?" he faltered.

"No, Jack; she is only your foster mother. But she thinks just as much
of you as if you were her real son. She has told me that over and over
again."

"You are sure of this?"

"Yes, Jack."

"Sure I am a--a nobody." His voice sunk to a mere whisper.

"Yon are not a nobody, Jack. When you were a mere boy of three or four
my father and mother adopted you, and you are now John Ruthven, my own
brother," and she gave his brown hand another tight squeeze.

He was too confused and bewildered to answer at once. The dreadful news
was true, he was not really a Ruthven. He was a nobody--no, he must be
_somebody_. But who was he?

CHAPTER III.

A MYSTERY OF THE PAST.

"I do not know that I have done just right by telling you this," went on
Marion. "Mother may not approve of it."

"I am glad you told me. I was bound to find out about it, sooner or
later."

"That is true, Jack. But both mother and I dreaded that time. We were
afraid you might turn from us. And we both love you so much!"

"It is kind of you to say that, Marion." Jack's face flushed. "You
couldn't be nicer if you were my real sister."

"And mother loves you so much."

"I know that, too--otherwise she wouldn't have taken me in as she did."

"What put it in your head to ask me this to-day?"

"Something St. John Ruthven said to Darcy Gilbert. St. John said I was
an upstart, a nobody."

"St. John had better mind his own business! It was not cousinly for him
to interfere!" And Marion's face flushed.

"I suppose he doesn't look at me in the light of a cousin. He considers
me an intruder."

"Well, if he won't count you a cousin he need not count me one
either--so there!"

"But you must not hurt yourself by standing up for me," cried Jack
hastily.

"I will not hurt myself--in the eyes of those whose respect is worth
considering. In the eyes of the law you are my real brother, for my
parents adopted you. St. John must not forget that."

"But tell me of the past, Marion. Where did I come from, and how did I
get here?"

"It's a long story, Jack. Do yo