"What about the White Room then?"
"He knew how to furnish that," said Arnold quickly; "the White Room was a freak on the part of my cousin. She always had a fancy to have a room entirely white, and she had one at Hampstead.
"I had one at Troy," said Fane coolly; "what of that?"
"Nothing. Only it is strange that you should have had the same idea of furnishing an odd room as Flora. Well, then, things were thus a year or two ago when news came that the Australian Brand had married his housekeeper, and that the money would likely be left to her."
"What a blow to your cousin," said Fane ironically.
"Yes; a great blow. From the moment the news arrived Brand grew colder than ever, and stayed away for longer periods. Husband and wife began to quarrel, as Flora fancied herself neglected. Life grew more and more unhappy, as I find from the unfortunate woman's diary, until she was thoroughly miserable about the beginning of the present year. It was shortly before July that she received a visit from her Greek cousin Bocaros."
"What did he come to see her for?"
"To find a friend," said Arnold gravely. "The man was lonely and unhappy. So was Flora. The two got on well, but Bocaros never saw Brand. He had gone to Australia."
"Why did he go there?"
"He thought he might be related to Brand, seeing that his cousin who had left him the money bore that name. He fancied that if this were so he might induce old Brand in Australia to give Flora some of the money, and so went to Australia. While he was away Flora received a letter stating that Brand was dead, and that the money was hers."