"Yes; I will tell you all about it," Mona said, flushing again, and
resolving to disclose everything. She proceeded to relate the singular
circumstances which led to her becoming an inmate of Mrs. Montague's
home, together with the incident of finding her mother's picture in one
of her trunks.

"Ah! I think this throws a little light upon the matter," Mr. Corbin
said, when she concluded. "If you had told me these facts at first we
should have saved time. And you never saw this woman until you met her in
her own house?" he asked, in conclusion, and regarding Mona searchingly.

"No, never; and had it not been for the hope of learning something
about my mother's history, I believe I should have gone away again
immediately," she replied.

"I should suppose she would have recognized you at once, by your
resemblance to this picture," remarked her companion.

"She did notice it, and questioned me quite closely; but I evaded her,
and she finally thought that the resemblance was only a coincidence."

"Well, I must confess that the affair is very much mixed--_very_ much
mixed," said the lawyer, with peculiar emphasis, "but I believe, now that
I know the whole story, that the truth can be ascertained if right
measures are used; _and_," he continued, impressively, "if we can prove
that you are what you assert, the only child of Richmond Montague and
Mona Forester, you will not only inherit the money left by Homer
Forester, but, being the child of the first union--provided we can prove
it legal--you could also claim the bulk of the property which your father
left. Mrs. Montague, if she should suspect our design, would, of course,