"Ah--no," he answered, briefly.
"But I didn't know my mother had any relations?" Alice said, in a dazed
way; "I thought father said--I'm sure he said--she hadn't any
relations? Perhaps--perhaps it is a mistake, after all?"
"The testator was not a relative of the Alys Winton in question," Mr.
Carter said. He glanced uneasily at Dr. Lavendar, who lifted his head
and looked at him searchingly. "It will be best to make further
explanations to Mr. Gray," Mr. Carter said, hurriedly.
"But who has left the money to me--if it is to me?" Alice said,
bewildered. "Can't I ask that? What is the name of the kind person?
I think I might ask that."
[Illustration: "'WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE KIND PERSON?'"]
"The name of the testator was Urquhart," Mr. Carter said, "but--but,
you know, my dear young lady, the identity is not yet legally
authenticated; so--therefore--perhaps--I think, Dr. Lavendar, I had
best go now? I think you mentioned that the stage leaves at four?"
"Urquhart?" Alice said; "the man who was so unkind? Oh, Lute, I
suppose he repented. Oh, how astonished father will be! He'll have to
forgive him now."
"It's a pretty late repentance," Luther said, with a chuckle; "and how
did he know about you, Alice? I don't see why he should leave you
money, even if he was a brute to your mother. Still," said the boy,
gayly, "I guess we won't complain?"
"Gracious!" cried Alice, "that is queer. Well, he _was_ a kind person!"
Rebecca Gray stared, frowning, at the lawyer. "He knew--this
Urquhart--that she had a child?" she said, slowly.
Mr. Carter was gathering up his papers. "Yes," he said--"yes; he--knew
it."
"What?" said Rebecca, in a very low voice--"_what?_"
"In view of the fact that, legally, the matter is still undecided," Mr.
Carter said, hurriedly, "perhaps we need not take this point up? At
all events, not here."
"Sir," said Rebecca, "why does Mr. Urquhart leave L5000 to Robert
Gray's daughter?"
"He was sorry he was unkind to my mother," Alice said, her voice
quivering. ("Oh, Lute, $25,000!")
"Alice," her step-mother said, in a loud, harsh voice, "you had better
leave the room. Luther, go with Alice, please."
The two young people, bewildered, got up with blank faces, and with
obvious reluctance obeyed. "But why should I be sent out, Lute?" Alice
said, hotly, when they were in the hall. "It's my money--if I'm the
person."
Luther stopped, and stood, frowning. On the boy's open, honest face
came a perplexed look. But Alice said again, in injured tones, that
she didn't know what Mrs. Gray meant. In the parlor the three elders
looked at each other in silence. Mrs. Gray had risen, and stood
leaning forward, her trembling hands flat on the table.
"I don't--understand," she said.
"Mr. Carter," said Dr. Lavendar, "certain remarks of yours on our way
up here made me apprehensive. I see that my friend, Mrs. Gray, is
also--apprehensive. I would suggest that you have a few words with her
alone. I will leave you."
"No," Rebecca said; "hear the end of it." Her hard face was red and
hot. "Why does Mr. Urquhart leave the child of Robert Gray L5000?
Why?"
"It is as I think you surmise, madam," John Carter said, gravely.
Rebecca recoiled, with a broken exclamation of horror.
Dr. Lavendar drew in his breath. "Oh, my poor Robert!" he said.
"It is so stated in the will," the lawyer went on; "there is no
disguising it; nor, as far as I can see, can it be hidden from the
legatee. The directions for finding this heir make the thing explicit.
The testator states that he received information of the expected birth
of his child _after_ the marriage of the person in question, who did
not mention her married name--hence our difficulty in tracing her."
Rebecca, her eyes narrowing into a cruel smile, sat down and rocked
backward and forward in her chair.
"Dreadful--dreadful--dreadful!" she said, aloud, exultantly.