Shelookedhardatme，undisguisedlyconsideringwithherselfwhetherIwereorwerenotspeakingthetruth。
"Youseemtobeagoodsort，"shesaid，makinguphermindatlast。"There’snothingstuck—upaboutyou。I’llhelpyouifI
can。Ihaverummagedamongthebookshereoverandoveragain，andIknowmoreaboutthemthanyoudo。Whatbookdoyouwant？"
AssheputthatawkwardquestionshenoticedforthefirsttimeLadyClarinda’snosegaylyingontheside—tablewheretheMajorhadleftit。Instantlyforgettingmeandmybook，thiscuriousgirlpouncedlikeafuryontheflowers，andactuallytrampledthemunderherfeet！
"There！"shecried。"IfIhadLadyClarindahereI’dserveherinthesameway。"
"WhatwilltheMajorsay？"Iasked。
"WhatdoIcare？DoyousupposeI’mafraidof_him？_OnlylastweekIbrokeoneofhisfinegimcracksupthere，andallthroughLadyClarindaandherflowers！"
Shepointedtothetopofthebook—case——totheemptyspaceonitclosebythewindow。Myheartgaveasuddenboundasmyeyestookthedirectionindicatedbyherfinger。_She_hadbrokenthevase！
Wasthewaytodiscoveryabouttorevealitselftomethroughthisgirl？Notawordwouldpassmylips；Icouldonlylookather。
"Yes！"shesaid。"Thethingstoodthere。HeknowshowIhateherflowers，andheputhernosegayinthevaseoutofmyway。Therewasawoman’sfacepaintedonthechina，andhetoldmeitwasthelivingimageof_her_face。ItwasnomorelikeherthanI
am。IwasinsucharagethatIupwiththebookIwasreadingatthetimeandshieditatthepaintedface。Overthevasewent，blessyourheart，crashtothefloor。Stopabit！Iwonderwhether_that’s_thebookyouhavebeenlookingafter？Areyoulikeme？DoyoulikereadingTrials？"
Trials？HadIheardheraright？Yes：shehadsaidTrials。
Iansweredbyanaffirmativemotionofmyhead。Iwasstillspeechless。Thegirlsaunteredinhercoolwaytothefire—place，and，takingupthetongs，returnedwiththemtothebook—case。
"Here’swherethebookfell，"shesaid——"inthespacebetweenthebook—caseandthewall。I’llhaveitoutinnotime。"
Iwaitedwithoutmovingamuscle，withoututteringaword。
Sheapproachedmewiththetongsinonehandandwithaplainlyboundvolumeintheother。
"Isthatthebook？"shesaid。"Openit，andsee。"
Itookthebookfromher。
"Itistremendouslyinteresting，"shewenton。"I’vereadittwiceover——Ihave。Mindyou，_I_believehedidit，afterall。"
Didit？Didwhat？Whatwasshetalkingabout？Itriedtoputthequestiontoher。Istruggled——quitevainly——tosayonlythesewords："Whatareyoutalkingabout？"
Sheseemedtoloseallpatiencewithme。Shesnatchedthebookoutofmyhand，andopeneditbeforemeonthetablebywhichwewerestandingsidebyside。
"Ideclare，you’reashelplessasababy！"shesaid，contemptuously。"There！_Is_thatthebook？"
Ireadthefirstlinesonthetitle—page——
ACOMPLETEREPORTOFTHETRIALOFEUSTACEMACALLAN。
Istoppedandlookedupather。Shestartedbackfrommewithascreamofterror。Ilookeddownagainatthetitle—page，andreadthenextlines——
FORTHEALLEGEDPOISONINGOFHISWIFE。
There，God’smercyrememberedme。Theretheblackblankofaswoonswallowedmeup。
CHAPTERXI。
THERETURNTOLIFE。
MyfirstremembrancewhenIbegantorecovermysenseswastheremembranceofPain——agonizingpain，asifeverynerveinmybodywerebeingtwistedandtornoutofme。MywholebeingwrithedandquiveredunderthedumbanddreadfulprotestofNatureagainsttheefforttorecallmetolife。Iwouldhavegivenworldstobeabletocryout——toentreattheunseencreaturesaboutmetogivemebacktodeath。HowlongthatspeechlessagonyheldmeIneverknew。Inalongerorshortertimetherestoleovermeslowlyasleepysenseofrelief。Iheardmyownlaboredbreathing。Ifeltmyhandsmovingfeeblyandmechanically，likethehandsofababy。Ifaintlyopenedmyeyesandlookedroundme——asifIhadpassedthroughtheordealofdeath，andhadawakenedtonewsensesinanewworld。
ThefirstpersonIsawwasaman——astranger。Hemovedquietlyoutofmysight；beckoning，ashedisappeared，tosomeotherpersonintheroom。
SlowlyandunwillinglytheotherpersonadvancedtothesofaonwhichIlay。Afaintcryofjoyescapedme；Itriedtoholdoutmyfeeblehands。Theotherpersonwhowasapproachingmewasmyhusband！
Ilookedathimeagerly。Heneverlookedatmeinreturn。Withhiseyesontheground，withastrangeappearanceofconfusionanddistressinhisface，hetoomovedawayoutofmysight。TheunknownmanwhomIhadfirstnoticedfollowedhimoutoftheroom。Icalledafterhimfaintly，"Eustace！"Heneveranswered；
heneverreturned。WithaneffortImovedmyheadonthepillow，soastolookroundontheothersideofthesofa。Anotherfamiliarfaceappearedbeforemeasifinadream。MygoodoldBenjaminwassittingwatchingme，withthetearsinhiseyes。
Heroseandtookmyhandsilently，inhissimple，kindlyway。
"WhereisEustace？"Iasked。"Whyhashegoneawayandleftme？"
Iwasstillmiserablyweak。MyeyeswanderedmechanicallyroundtheroomasIputthequestion。IsawMajorFitz—David，Isawthetableonwhichthesinginggirlhadopenedthebooktoshowittome。Isawthegirlherself，sittingaloneinacorner，withherhandkerchieftohereyesasifshewerecrying。Inonemysteriousmomentmymemoryrecovereditspowers。Therecollectionofthatfataltitle—pagecamebacktomeinallitshorror。Theonefeelingthatitrousedinmenowwasalongingtoseemyhusband——tothrowmyselfintohisarms，andtellhimhowfirmlyI
believedinhisinnocence，howtrulyanddearlyIlovedhim。I
seizedonBenjaminwithfeeble，tremblinghands。"Bringhimbacktome！"Icried，wildly。"Whereishe？Helpmetogetup！"
Astrangevoiceanswered，firmlyandkindly："Composeyourself，madam。Mr。Woodvilleiswaitinguntilyouhaverecovered，inaroomcloseby。"
Ilookedathim，andrecognizedthestrangerwhohadfollowedmyhusbandoutoftheroom。Whyhadhereturnedalone？WhywasEustacenotwithme，liketherestofthem？Itriedtoraisemyself，andgetonmyfeet。Thestrangergentlypressedmebackagainonthepillow。Iattemptedtoresisthim——quiteuselessly，ofcourse。Hisfirmhandheldmeasgentlyaseverinmyplace。
"Youmustrestalittle，"hesaid。"Youmusttakesomewine。Ifyouexertyourselfnowyouwillfaintagain。"
OldBenjaminstoopedoverme，andwhisperedawordofexplanation。
"It’sthedoctor，mydear。Youmustdoashetellsyou。"
Thedoctor！Theyhadcalledthedoctorintohelpthem！Ibegandimlytounderstandthatmyfaintingfitmusthavepresentedsymptomsfarmoreseriousthanthefaintingfitsofwomeningeneral。Iappealedtothedoctor，inahelpless，querulousway，toaccounttomeformyhusband’sextraordinaryabsence。
"Whydidyoulethimleavetheroom？"Iasked。"IfIcan’tgotohim，whydon’tyoubringhimheretome？"
Thedoctorappearedtobeatalosshowtoreplytome。HelookedatBenjamin，andsaid，"WillyouspeaktoMrs。Woodville？"
Benjamin，inhisturn，lookedatMajorFitz—David，andsaid，"Will_you？_"TheMajorsignedtothembothtoleaveus。Theyrosetogether，andwentintothefrontroom，pullingthedoortoaftertheminitsgrooves。Astheyleftus，thegirlwhohadsostrangelyrevealedmyhusband’ssecrettomeroseinhercornerandapproachedthesofa。
"IsupposeIhadbettergotoo？"shesaid，addressingMajorFitz—David。
"Ifyouplease，"theMajoranswered。
Hespoke（asIthought）rathercoldly。Shetossedherhead，andturnedherbackonhiminhighindignation。"Imustsayawordformyself！"criedthisstrangecreature，withahystericaloutbreakofenergy。"Imustsayaword，orIshallburst！"
Withthatextraordinarypreface，shesuddenlyturnedmywayandpouredoutaperfecttorrentofwordsonme。
"YouhearhowtheMajorspeakstome？"shebegan。"Heblamesme——poorMe——foreverythingthathashappened。Iamasinnocentasthenew—bornbabe。Iactedforthebest。Ithoughtyouwantedthebook。Idon’tknownowwhatmadeyoufaintdeadawaywhenI
openedit。AndtheMajorblamesMe！Asifitwasmyfault！Iamnotoneofthefaintingsortmyself；butIfeelit，Icantellyou。Yes！Ifeelit，thoughIdon’tfaintaboutit。Icomeofrespectableparents——Ido。MynameisHoighty——MissHoighty。I
havemyownself—respect；andit’swounded。Isaymyself—respectiswounded，whenIfindmyselfblamedwithoutdeservingit。Youdeserveit，ifanybodydoes。Didn’tyoutellmeyouwerelookingforabook？Anddidn’tIpresentittoyoupromiscuously，withthebestintentions？Ithinkyoumightsaysoyourself，nowthedoctorhasbroughtyoutoagain。Ithinkyoumightspeakupforapoorgirlwhoisworkedtodeathwithsingingandlanguagesandwhatnot——apoorgirlwhohasnobodyelsetospeakforher。Iamasrespectableasyouare，ifyoucometothat。MynameisHoighty。Myparentsareinbusiness，andmymammahasseenbetterdays，andmixedinthebestofcompany。"
ThereMissHoightyliftedherhandkerchiefagaintoherface，andburstmodestlyintotearsbehindit。
Itwascertainlyhardtoholdherresponsibleforwhathadhappened。IansweredaskindlyasIcould，andIattemptedtospeaktoMajorFitz—Davidinherdefense。Heknewwhatterribleanxietieswereoppressingmeatthatmoment；and，consideratelyrefusingtohearaword，hetookthetaskofconsolinghisyoungprimadonnaentirelyonhimself。WhathesaidtoherIneitherheardnorcaredtohear：hespokeinawhisper。ItendedinhispacifyingMissHoighty，bykissingherhand，andleadingher（ashemighthaveledaduchess）outoftheroom。
"Ihopethatfoolishgirlhasnotannoyedyou——atsuchatimeasthis，"hesaid，veryearnestly，whenhereturnedtothesofa。"I
can’ttellyouhowgrievedIamatwhathashappened。Iwascarefultowarnyou，asyoumayremember。Still，ifIcouldonlyhaveforeseen——"
Ilethimproceednofurther。Nohumanforethoughtcouldhaveprovidedagainstwhathadhappened。Besides，dreadfulasthediscoveryhadbeen，Iwouldratherhavemadeit，andsufferedunderit，asIwassufferingnow，thanhavebeenkeptinthedark。Itoldhimthis。AndthenIturnedtotheonesubjectthatwasnowofanyinteresttome——thesubjectofmyunhappyhusband。
"Howdidhecometothishouse？"Iasked。
HecameherewithMr。BenjaminshortlyafterIreturned，"theMajorreplied。
"LongafterIwastakenill？"
"No。Ihadjustsentforthedoctor——feelingseriouslyalarmedaboutyou。"
"Whatbroughthimhere？Didhereturntothehotelandmissme？"
"Yes。Hereturnedearlierthanhehadanticipated，andhefeltuneasyatnotfindingyouatthehotel。"
"Didhesuspectmeofbeingwithyou？Didhecomeherefromthehotel？"
"No。HeappearstohavegonefirsttoMr。Benjamintoinquireaboutyou。WhatheheardfromyouroldfriendIcannotsay。I
onlyknowthatMr。Benjaminaccompaniedhimwhenhecamehere。"
Thisbriefexplanationwasquiteenoughforme——Iunderstoodwhathadhappened。EustacewouldeasilyfrightensimpleoldBenjaminaboutmyabsencefromthehotel；and，oncealarmed，BenjaminwouldbepersuadedwithoutdifficultytorepeatthefewwordswhichhadpassedbetweenusonthesubjectofMajorFitz—David。
Myhusband’spresenceintheMajor’shousewasperfectlyexplained。ButhisextraordinaryconductinleavingtheroomattheverytimewhenIwasjustrecoveringmysensesstillremainedtobeaccountedfor。MajorFitz—DavidlookedseriouslyembarrassedwhenIputthequestiontohim。
"Ihardlyknowhowtoexplainittoyou，"hesaid。"Eustacehassurprisedanddisappointedme。"
Hespokeverygravely。Hislookstoldmemorethanhiswords：hislooksalarmedme。
"Eustacehasnotquarreledwithyou？"Isaid。
"Ohno！"
"Heunderstandsthatyouhavenotbrokenyourpromisetohim？"
"Certainly。Myyoungvocalist（MissHoighty）toldthedoctorexactlywhathadhappened；andthedoctorinherpresencerepeatedthestatementtoyourhusband。"
"DidthedoctorseetheTrial？"
"NeitherthedoctornorMr。BenjaminhasseentheTrial。Ihavelockeditup；andIhavecarefullykepttheterriblestoryofyourconnectionwiththeprisonerasecretfromallofthem。Mr。
Benjaminevidentlyhashissuspicions。Butthedoctorhasnoidea，andMissHoightyhasnoidea，ofthetruecauseofyourfaintingfit。Theybothbelievethatyouaresubjecttoseriousnervousattacks，andthatyourhusband’snameisreallyWoodville。AllthatthetruestfriendcoulddotospareEustaceI
havedone。Hepersists，nevertheless，inblamingmeforlettingyouentermyhouse。Andworse，farworsethanthis，hepersistsindeclaringtheeventofto—dayhasfatallyestrangedyoufromhim。’Thereisanendofourmarriedlife，’hesaidtome，’nowsheknowsthatIamthemanwhowastriedatEdinburghforpoisoningmywife！"’
Irosefromthesofainhorror。
"GoodGod！"Icried，"doesEustacesupposethatIdoubthisinnocence？"
"Hedeniesthatitispossibleforyouorforanybodytobelieveinhisinnocence，"theMajorreplied。
"Helpmetothedoor，"Isaid。"Whereishe？Imustandwillseehim！"
IdroppedbackexhaustedonthesofaasIsaidthewords。MajorFitz—Davidpouredoutaglassofwinefromthebottleonthetable，andinsistedonmydrinkingit。
"Youshallseehim，"saidtheMajor。"Ipromiseyouthat。Thedoctorhasforbiddenhimtoleavethehouseuntilyouhaveseenhim。Onlywaitalittle！Mypoor，dearlady，wait，ifitisonlyforafewminutes，untilyouarestronger。"
Ihadnochoicebuttoobeyhim。Oh，thosemiserable，helplessminutesonthesofa！Icannotwriteofthemwithoutshudderingattherecollection——evenatthisdistanceoftime。
"Bringhimhere！"Isaid。"Pray，praybringhimhere！"
"Whoistopersuadehimtocomeback？"askedtheMajor，sadly。
"HowcanI，howcananybody，prevailwithaman——amadmanIhadalmostsaid！——whocouldleaveyouatthemomentwhenyoufirstopenedyoureyesonhim？IsawEustacealoneinthenextroomwhilethedoctorwasinattendanceonyou。Itriedtoshakehisobstinatedistrustofyourbeliefinhisinnocenceandofmybeliefinhisinnocencebyeveryargumentandeveryappealthatanoldfriendcouldaddresstohim。Hehadbutoneanswertogiveme。ReasonasImight，andpleadasImight，hestillpersistedinreferringmetotheScotchVerdict。"
"TheScotchVerdict？"Irepeated。"Whatisthat？"
TheMajorlookedsurprisedatthequestion。
"HaveyoureallyneverheardoftheTrial？"hesaid。
"Never。"
"Ithoughtitstrange，"hewenton，"whenyoutoldmeyouhadfoundoutyourhusband’struename，thatthediscoveryappearedtohavesuggestednopainfulassociationtoyourmind。ItisnotmorethanthreeyearssinceallEnglandwastalkingofyourhusband。Onecanhardlywonderathistakingrefuge，poorfellow，inanassumedname。Wherecouldyouhavebeenatthetime？"
"Didyousayitwasthreeyearsago？"Iasked。
"Yes。"
"IthinkIcanexplainmystrangeignoranceofwhatwassowellknowntoeveryoneelse。Threeyearssincemyfatherwasalive。I
waslivingwithhiminacountry—houseinItaly——upinthemountains，nearSienna。WeneversawanEnglishnewspaperormetwithanEnglishtravelerforweeksandweekstogether。ItisjustpossiblethattheremighthavebeensomereferencemadetotheTrialinmyfather’slettersfromEngland。Iftherewere，henevertoldmeofit。Or，ifhedidmentionthecase，Ifeltnointerestinit，andforgotitagaindirectly。Tellme——whathastheVerdicttodowithmyhusband’shorribledoubtofus？Eustaceisafreeman。TheVerdictwasNotGuilty，ofcourse？"
MajorFitz—Davidshookhisheadsadly。
"EustacewastriedinScotland，"hesaid。"ThereisaverdictallowedbytheScotchlaw，which（sofarasIknow）isnotpermittedbythelawsofanyothercivilizedcountryonthefaceoftheearth。Whenthejuryareindoubtwhethertocondemnoracquittheprisonerbroughtbeforethem，theyarepermitted，inScotland，toexpressthatdoubtbyaformofcompromise。Ifthereisnotevidenceenough，ontheonehand，tojustifytheminfindingaprisonerguilty，andnotevidenceenough，ontheotherhand，tothoroughlyconvincethemthataprisonerisinnocent，theyextricatethemselvesfromthedifficultybyfindingaverdictofNotProven。"
"WasthattheVerdictwhenEustacewastried？"Iasked。
"Yes。"
"Thejurywerenotquitesatisfiedthatmyhusbandwasguilty？
andnotquitesatisfiedthatmyhusbandwasinnocent？IsthatwhattheScotchVerdictmeans？"
"ThatiswhattheScotchVerdictmeans。Forthreeyearsthatdoubtabouthiminthemindsofthejurywhotriedhimhasstoodonpublicrecord。"
Oh，mypoordarling！myinnocentmartyr！Iunderstooditatlast。
Thefalsenameinwhichhehadmarriedme；theterriblewordshehadspokenwhenhehadwarnedmetorespecthissecret；thestillmoreterribledoubtthathefeltofmeatthatmoment——itwasallintelligibletomysympathies，itwasallcleartomyunderstanding，now。Igotupagainfromthesofa，stronginadaringresolutionwhichtheScotchVerdicthadsuddenlykindledinme——aresolutionatoncetoosacredandtoodesperatetobeconfided，inthefirstinstance，toanyotherthanmyhusband’sear。
"TakemetoEustace！"Icried。"Iamstrongenoughtobearanythingnow。"
Afteronesearchinglookatme，theMajorsilentlyofferedmehisarm，andledmeoutoftheroom。
CHAPTERXII。
THESCOTCHVERDICT。
Wewalkedtothefarendofthehall。MajorFitz—Davidopenedthedoorofalong，narrowroombuiltoutatthebackofthehouseasasmoking—room，andextendingalongonesideofthecourtyardasfarasthestablewall。
Myhusbandwasaloneintheroom，seatedatthefurtherendofit，nearthefire—place。HestartedtohisfeetandfacedmeinsilenceasIentered。TheMajorsoftlyclosedthedooronusandretired。Eustaceneverstirredasteptomeetme。Irantohim，andthrewmyarmsroundhisneckandkissedhim。Theembracewasnotreturned；thekisswasnotreturned。Hepassivelysubmitted——nothingmore。
"Eustace！"Isaid，"IneverlovedyoumoredearlythanIloveyouatthismoment！IneverfeltforyouasIfeelforyounow！"
Hereleasedhimselfdeliberatelyfrommyarms。Hesignedtomewiththemechanicalcourtesyofastrangertotakeachair。
"Thankyou，Valeria，"heanswered，incold，measuredtones。"Youcouldsaynolesstome，afterwhathashappened；andyoucouldsaynomore。Thankyou。"
Wewerestandingbeforethefire—place。Heleftme，andwalkedawayslowlywithhisheaddown，apparentlyintendingtoleavetheroom。
Ifollowedhim——Igotbeforehim——Iplacedmyselfbetweenhimandthedoor。
"Whydoyouleaveme？"Isaid。"Whydoyouspeaktomeinthiscruelway？Areyouangry，Eustace？Mydarling，ifyou_are_
angry，Iaskyoutoforgiveme。"
"ItisIwhooughttoask_your_pardon，"hereplied。"Ibegyoutoforgiveme，Valeria，forhavingmadeyoumywife。"
Hepronouncedthosewordswithahopeless，heart—brokenhumilitydreadfultosee。Ilaidmyhandonhisbosom。Isaid，"Eustace，lookatme。"
Heslowlyliftedhiseyestomyface——eyescoldandclearandtearless——lookingatmeinsteadyresignation，inimmovabledespair。Intheutterwretchednessofthatmoment，Iwaslikehim；Iwasasquietandascoldasmyhusband。Hechilled，hefrozeme。
"Isitpossible，"Isaid，"thatyoudoubtmybeliefinyourinnocence？"
Heleftthequestionunanswered。Hesighedbitterlytohimself。
"Poorwoman！"hesaid，asastrangermighthavesaid，pityingme。
"Poorwoman！"
Myheartswelledinmeasifitwouldburst。Iliftedmyhandfromhisbosom，andlaiditonhisshouldertosupportmyself。
"Idon’taskyoutopityme，Eustace；Iaskyoutodomejustice。
Youarenotdoingmejustice。Ifyouhadtrustedmewiththetruthinthedayswhenwefirstknewthatwelovedeachother——ifyouhadtoldmeall，andmorethanallthatIknownow——asGodismywitnessIwouldstillhavemarriedyou！_Now_doyoudoubtthatIbelieveyouareaninnocentman！"
"Idon’tdoubtit，"hesaid。"Allyourimpulsesaregenerous，Valeria。Youarespeakinggenerouslyandfeelinggenerously。
Don’tblameme，mypoorchild，ifIlookonfurtherthanyoudo：
ifIseewhatistocome——toosurelytocome——inthecruelfuture。"
"Thecruelfuture！"Irepeated。"Whatdoyoumean？"
"Youbelieveinmyinnocence，Valeria。Thejurywhotriedmedoubtedit——andhaveleftthatdoubtonrecord。Whatreasonhave_you_forbelieving，inthefaceoftheVerdict，thatIamaninnocentman？"
"Iwantnoreason！Ibelieveinspiteofthejury——inspiteoftheVerdict。"
"Willyourfriendsagreewithyou？Whenyouruncleandauntknowwhathashappened——andsoonerorlatertheymustknowit——whatwilltheysay？Theywillsay，’Hebeganbadly；heconcealedfromourniecethathehadbeenweddedtoafirstwife；hemarriedournieceunderafalsename。Hemaysayheisinnocent；butwehaveonlyhiswordforit。WhenhewasputonhisTrial，theVerdictwasNotProven。NotProvenwon’tdoforus。Ifthejuryhavedonehimaninjustice——ifhe_is_innocent——lethimproveit。’Thatiswhattheworldthinksandsaysofme。Thatiswhatyourfriendswillthinkandsayofme。Thetimeiscoming，Valeria，whenyou——evenYou——willfeelthatyourfriendshavereasontoappealtoontheirside，andthatyouhavenoreasononyours。"
"Thattimewillnevercome！"Ianswered，warmly。"Youwrongme，youinsultme，inthinkingitpossible！"
Heputdownmyhandfromhim，anddrewbackastep，withabittersmile。
"Wehaveonlybeenmarriedafewdays，Valeria。Yourloveformeisnewandyoung。Time，whichwearsawayallthings，willwearawaythefirstfervorofthatlove。"
"Never！never！"
Hedrewbackfrommealittlefurtherstill。
"Lookattheworldaroundyou，"hesaid。"Thehappiesthusbandsandwiveshavetheiroccasionalmisunderstandingsanddisagreements；thebrightestmarriedlifehasitspassingclouds。
Whenthosedayscomefor_us，_thedoubtsandfearsthatyoudon’tfeelnowwillfindtheirwaytoyouthen。Whenthecloudsrisein_our_marriedlife——whenIsaymyfirstharshword，whenyoumakeyourfirsthastyreply——then，inthesolitudeofyourownroom，inthestillnessofthewakefulnight，youwillthinkofmyfirstwife’smiserabledeath。YouwillrememberthatIwasheldresponsibleforit，andthatmyinnocencewasneverproved。
Youwillsaytoyourself，’Diditbegin，in_her_time，withaharshwordfromhimandwithahastyreplyfromher？Willitonedayendwithmeasthejuryhalffearedthatitendedwithher？’
Hideousquestionsforawifetoaskherself！Youwillstiflethem；youwillrecoilfromthem，likeagoodwoman，withhorror。
Butwhenwemeetthenextmorningyouwillbeonyourguard，andIshallseeit，andknowinmyheartofheartswhatitmeans。
Imbitteredbythatknowledge，mynextharshwordmaybeharsherstill。Yournextthoughtsofmemayremindyoumorevividlyandmoreboldlythatyourhusbandwasoncetriedasapoisoner，andthatthequestionofhisfirstwife’sdeathwasneverproperlyclearedup。Doyouseewhatmaterialsforadomestichellareminglingforushere？WasitfornothingthatIwarnedyou，solemnlywarnedyou，todrawback，whenIfoundyoubentondiscoveringthetruth？CanIeverbeatyourbedsidenow，whenyouareill，andnotremindyou，inthemostinnocentthingsI
do，ofwhathappenedatthatotherbedside，inthetimeofthatotherwomanwhomImarriedfirst？IfIpouroutyourmedicine，I
commitasuspiciousaction——theysayIpoisoned_her_inhermedicine。IfIbringyouacupoftea，Irevivetheremembranceofahorriddoubt——theysaidIputthearsenicin_her_cupoftea。IfIkissyouwhenIleavetheroom，Iremindyouthattheprosecutionaccusedmeofkissing_her，_tosaveappearancesandproduceaneffectonthenurse。Canwelivetogetheronsuchtermsasthese？Nomortalcreaturescouldsupportthemiseryofit。ThisverydayIsaidtoyou，’Ifyoustirastepfurtherinthismatter，thereisanendofyourhappinessfortherestofyourlife。’Youhavetakenthatstepandtheendhascometoyourhappinessandtomine。Theblightthatcankersandkillsisonyouandonmefortherestofourlives！"
SofarIhadforcedmyselftolistentohim。Atthoselastwordsthepictureofthefuturethathewasplacingbeforemebecametoohideoustobeendured。Irefusedtohearmore。