Rex wrote the name down on a piece of paper and put it away to show to Sydney on his return from his Florida trip, for his health had been growing steadily poorer and Mrs. Pell had persuaded him finally to go South with a friend for a while.

“You know he isn’t really my own brother,” Rex confided to Miles.  “But he’s a distant relative.  His father and mother died when he was very little.”

Miles was much interested on hearing this.  It served in some way to establish another bond between himself and the Pells.

“I’ll let you know what Syd finds out about this as soon as he finds out anything,” Rex told Miles at parting.

Miles had begun to attend school.  He had not had an opportunity to study since leaving the Morriseys.  He was naturally quick, and made good progress.

“He’ll know too much by spring to be put to garden work again,” Mrs. Raynor had said when she was in.  “I hardly know what to do with him then.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” laughed Jess.  “By that time he may have found his parents and be a millionaire.”

“How you talk, Jess,” interposed her sister.  “If he ever does find his people, it doesn’t follow that they will be wealthy.  Indeed, he’d probably never have been given to the Morriseys if his father hadn’t been too poor to support him.”

Eva took a deep interest in the case.  She was of a literary turn of mind, and wove many a romance in her busy brain about the early history of this strange youth, who seemed so extraordinarily gentle, considering his rough bringing up.

Sydney came home just before the twins’ vacation ended.

“Oh, Syd!” Rex suddenly exclaimed, that first evening as they were all seated in the library, listening to Florida experiences.  “Miles has heard from this Morrisey boy.”

“Well,” replied Sydney, “did he learn anything of importance?”

“Yes, he found out the name his father and mother used when they were talking about the man who brought Miles to them.”

“And what was it?”

“Darley.”

Sydney fell back in his chair and grew as white as a ghost.

CHAPTER XXVII

 Sydney goes on A mysterious expedition

The family were greatly alarmed at Sydney’s collapse.  Mrs. Pell had fondly hoped that his Southern trip would be of permanent benefit to him, and here he was breaking down on the first night of his return.

Not one of them associated his seizure in any way with the subject on which they had been talking except Rex.  He could not but recall a somewhat similar attack, when Sydney had fainted in his office while he (Rex) was telling Scott Bowman of their inheritance.

But Miles Harding’s affairs had nothing to do with this.  What did it all mean?  Rex asked himself, as he sped off for the doctor.

When he got back, Sydney had come to, but seemed to be suffering severely.  And yet when asked if he was in pain, he would shake his head and beg so imploringly that they would leave him to himself, that the fears of the family were intensified many fold.