all this he felt very sorry for her.

'Ill; of course I'm ill,' she answered irritably. 'All night long I have
been wishing I were dead. I said yesterday that I would rather kill
myself than tell you my story; but to-day I have thought better of it.'

'I am glad of that.'

'Of course I am not a fool, and I know I am in your power--yours and
that man's.' And here she shivered.

'Will you tell me this one thing first? Is he--is Matthew O'Brien your
husband?'

'Yes; I suppose so. I was certainly married to him once.'

'Then, why, in the name of heaven, Mrs. Blake, do you allow people to
consider you a widow?'

'Because I am a widow,' she returned harshly. 'Because I have unmarried
myself and given up my husband. Because I refused to have anything more
to do with him--he brought me disgrace, and I hated him for it.'

'But, pardon me, it is not possible--no woman can unmarry herself in
this fashion--unless you mean----'

And here he stopped, feeling it impossible to put any such question to
her. But what on earth could she mean?

'No, I have not divorced him. I suppose, in one sense, he may still be
regarded as my husband; but for fourteen years he has been dead to me,
and I have called myself a widow.'

'But you must have known it was wrong,' he returned, a little bewildered
by these extraordinary statements. If she had not looked so wan and
haggard, he would have accused her of talking wildly.

'No, Captain Burnett; I do not own it was wrong. Under some
circumstances a woman is bound to defend herself and her children--a
tigress will brave a loaded gun if her young are starving. If it were
to come over again, I would do the same. But I will acknowledge to you
that I did not love my husband.'

'No; that is evident.'

'I never loved him, though I was foolish enough to marry him. I suppose
I cared for him in a sort of way. He was handsome, and had soft,
pleasant ways with him; and I was young and giddy, and ready for any
excitement. But I had not been his wife three months before I would have
given worlds to have undone my marriage.'

'Was he a bad husband to you?'

'No. Mat was always too soft for unkindness; but he was not the man for
me. Besides, I had married him out of pique--there was someone I liked
much better. You see, I am telling you all quite frankly. I am in your
power, as I said before. If I refused to speak, you would just go to
Mat, and he would tell you everything.'

'I am very much rel