"You are something like him," she admitted, "only he was much, much nicer to look at than you."
"Never mind that," he continued eagerly. "I'm his brother, his nearest relative. Everything he left behind belongs to me!"
"Not—quite everything," she protested.
"What do you mean?" he asked sharply.
"You may be his brother," she answered, "but I," holding out her left hand a little nervously, "I was his wife!"
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE MURDERED MAN'S EFFECTS
Both men had been totally unprepared for the girl's timid avowal. To Wrayson, however, after the first mild shock of surprise, it was of no special import. To Sydney Barnes, although he made a speedy effort to grapple with the situation, it came very much as a thunderclap.
"You have your certificate?" he asked sharply. "You were married properly in a church?"
She nodded. "We were married at Dulwich Parish Church," she answered. "It was nearly a year ago."
"Very well," Sydney Barnes said. "It is lucky that I am here to look after your interests. We divide everything, you know."