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When he ca-room she was apparently still in the hands of the h the house as far as the library, and drawing a cheque-book from one pocket, fished out a an to cast up totals with a view to learning so about the various debts contracted at Shotover

He seeh; and, a trifle concerned, he began covering a pad with figures until he knehere he stood Then he drew a considerable cheque to Major Belwether's order, another to Alderdene Others followed to other people for various amounts; and he was very busily at hen, aware of another presence near, he turned around in his chair Sylvia Landis riting at a desk in the corner, and she looked up, nodding the little greeting that she always reserved for hi cheques," she said "I suppose you're writing to your mother"

"Why do you think so?" he asked curiously

"You write to her every day, don't you?"

"Yes," he said, "but how do you know?"

She looked at hi deliberation "You wrote every day … If it was to a woman, I wanted to know … And I told Grace Ferrall that it worried me And then Grace told me Is there any other confession of my own pettiness that I can ?" he asked slowly

"Care? I--it worried me Was it not a pitifully common impulse? 'Sisters under our skin,' you know--I and the maid who dresses eneric difference I wanted to know just the same … But--that was before--"

"Before what?"

"Before I--please don't ask me to say it … I did, once, when you asked me"

"Before you cared for me Is that what you mean?"

"Yes You are so cruelly literal when you wish to punishme, too I owe that wretched Ke to find out how e"

Siward turned and continued his writing And when the little sheaf of cheques was ready he counted the a flat packet of fresh bank-notes from his portfolio, counted out the tips expected of hilanced over his shoulder at Sylvia, but she was apparently absorbed in counting soly to his desk and wrote a long letter to his mother--the same tender, affectionately boyish letter he had alritten her, full of confidences, full of hu his own return to her on the heels of the letter