"Well, I am prepared to be surprised," he answered, with a smile. "Yet you will never guess where I was yesterday. You will never guess who I saw. I went down to Woodlea Hall; I had a long interview with John Temple, its new owner." A dark flush rose to Webster's face as he listened to these words. "I went, in fact, to try to do a stroke of business, and I did it. You did not seem inclined to do it for me, and there was no one else in whom I had absolute trust but myself. I went to Woodlea for the purpose of seeing John Temple, and making him a polite offer to get rid of me. It is a splendid place, and I told him that I had no idea I had made such a good match." "And you saw him?" said Webster, with a great effort. "Of course I saw him. I told him I was quite as tired of being married to him as he could be of being married to me. And I told him also it was no use his trying to get a divorce from me, as he had nothing to go upon. 'But,' I added, 'I can get one from you. I have only to invent that you tore the hair out of my head, and beat me black and blue, to win my case' and my gentleman did not deny it." "But surely you will not--" "But surely I will," went on Kathleen Weir, as Webster paused and hesitated. "However, I have not told you all. 'And as you are a rich man,' I continued, 'you must pay for your freedom. I am ready to swear falsely; to rid you of a wife to whom you are indifferent, and who is perfectly indifferent to you, but I must be paid for it.' He made no objections, and I named the sum I would accept--ten thousand pounds--and to this also he made no objections. Now, don't you think it was very clever of me?" "But--have you any case against him?" "Of course I have a case, and we can arrange the particulars between us. He won't deny the hair-pulling and the beatings, and the judge will believe me to be an injured woman, and give me the release I am dying for. I will be free--free and rich--and perhaps then--" Her voice faltered as she said the last few words, for the first time during this interview, and her eyes fell. Webster's eyes also fell, and he moved uneasily, and then he rose and went toward the fireplace and stood leaning against the mantel-piece. Kathleen Weir glanced after him; then also rose and followed him to where he was standing. "Do not think me hard, or cold, or mercenary," she said, "in making this bargain. I--I was not thinking of myself when I did so. I make a large income by my profession; more than I need. But I wanted this sum--Ralph Webster, shall I tell you why?" She put out her white hand as she spoke, and laid it on his arm. It was trembling, and Webster saw it tremble, and an embarrassed silence followed for a few moments between them. "Shall I tell you why?" she presently repeated, in a soft, low voice, and she looked up in his face. "I wanted it for you--for you, for whose sake I wish also to be free."