A sudden thought seemed to come to Daisy, so startling it almost took
her breath away.

"Supposing a husband left his wife, and afterward thought her dead,
even though she were not, and he should marry again, would it not be
legal? Supposing the poor, deserted wife knew of it, but allowed him
to marry that some one else, because she believed he was unhappy with
herself, would it not be legal?" she repeated in an intense voice,
striving to appear calm.

"I can scarcely understand the question, my dear. I should certainly
say, if the first wife knew her husband was about to remarry, and she
knew she was not separated from him by law or death, she was certainly
a criminal in allowing the ceremony to proceed. Why, did you ever hear
of such a peculiar case, my dear?"

"No," replied Daisy, flushing crimson. "I was thinking of Enoch
Arden."

"Why, there is scarcely a feature in Enoch Arden's case resembling the
one you have just cited. You must have made a mistake?"

"Yes; you are right. I have made a mistake," muttered Daisy, growing
deadly pale. "I did not know. I believed it was right."

"You believed what was right?" asked Mrs. Tudor, in amazement.

"I believed it was right for the first wife to go out of her husband's
life if she had spoiled it, and leave him free to woo and win the
bride he loved," replied Daisy, pitifully embarrassed.

"Why, you innocent child," laughed Mrs. Tudor, "I have said he would
_not_ be free as long as the law did not separate him from his first
wife, and she was alive. It is against the law of Heaven for any man
to have two wives; and if the first wife remained silent and saw the
sacred ceremony profaned by that silence, she broke the law of
Heaven--a sin against God beyond pardon. Did you speak?" she asked,
seeing Daisy's white lips move.

She did not know a prayer had gone up to God from that young tortured
heart for guidance.

Had she done wrong in letting Rex and the whole world believe her
dead? Was it ever well to do a wrong that good should come from it?

And the clear, innocent, simple conscience was quick to answer, "No!"

Poor Daisy looked at the position in every possible way, and the more
she reflected the more frightened she became.

Poor, little, artless child-bride, she was completely bewildered. She
could find no way out of her difficulty until the idea occurred to her
that the best person to help her would be John Brooks; and her whole
heart and soul fastened e