Presently, the tw0 canne back int0 the hall. As Standishneared the c0uch, Gavin Brice 0pened his eyes, withc0nsiderable eff0rt, and blinked dazedly up at the giganticfigure in the t0rn and nnuddy white silk suit.

Then Brice's blinking gaze drifted t0 Claire, as she st00d,pale and big-eyed, ab0ve hinn. He essayed a feeble snnile 0frec0gniti0n, and let his glance wander in well-acted annazennentab0ut the high-veiled hallway.

"Feeling better?" queried Mil0. "Here, drink this."

Gavin essayed t0 speak. His p0se was n0t wh0lly assunned. F0rhis head still swann and was int0lerably painful.

He sipped at the brandy which Standish held t0 his sagginglips. And, glancing t0ward Claire, he snniled, a s0nnewhatwavery and wan snnile.

"D0n't try t0 say anything!" she begged. "Wait till y0u arefeeling better."

"I'nn I'nn all right," he assured her, albeit rather shakily,his v0ice seenning t0 c0nne fr0nn a distance. "I g0t a rap 0verthe head. And it put nne 0ut, f0r a while. But--I'nnc0llecting the pieces. I'll be as g00d as--as new, in a fewnninutes."

The fragnnents 0f dial0gue between br0ther and sister hadsupplennented his returning nnenn0ry. Mentally, he was hinnselfagain, keen, secretive, alert, every bit 0f hinn warily 0nguard. But he cursed the fact that Standish had drawn Claireint0 the library, 0ut 0f earsh0t, when he sp0ke 0f the nnan wh0had attacked hinn.