"I believe he is innocent. But—why couldn’t he prove his innocence? If you did it, unknown to him——" "Of course it was unknown to him," she interrupted. "He never suspected for a moment—how could he? That’s why I did it. Oh, I was mad at the moment, but I loved him so! His life was in danger. He was going to kill himself. Why won’t anyone believe—why can’t anyone understand? Ruin, dishonour, faced him. When a woman loves nothing in the world matters but the honour, safety, and life of the man she loves. Being a man you may not have much of an opinion of women—the Lord knows why we love them so! Just as a man will die for his country, just as a soldier will kill, spy, suffer indignities, be tortured, rather than betray his trust, rather than see his country shamed or his flag hauled down, so will a woman do just the same rather than see her man hurt or the flag he carries dishonoured. Oh, I suppose it’s only an idea that each fights for—the flag for the soldier, the man for the woman. The flag is his country and its future. The man is her mate and the children he will give her.... Can’t you understand? I’m not defending myself; but they wouldn’t believe me when I confessed, because they couldn’t see why I should do it. The fools!" "Surely you didn’t think when you did this thing your crime would remain undetected?" "A woman doesn’t think when the man she loves is in danger. I tell you, if I hadn’t found the money for him he would have taken his life. I had to find the money. The cheque was lying on the floor, he had forgotten it. The idea came. I acted on it. I didn’t think. It was a crime, I daresay. One day, when you’re at war, perhaps, and you capture a spy you’ll shoot him. You know he’s a brave man and a soldier doing a job you might have been deputed to do for your country. But you’ll shoot him. That’s a crime in its way, but you’ll do it because it’s your duty to your flag. If you stopped to reason, to think it out, you wouldn’t do it. When I committed my crime I obeyed the orders of my heart—instinct—call it what you will. I wanted to save my man—who was to be the father of my children. That’s all I knew or remembered. I didn’t save him. It’s not too late now—if only they would listen to me, if only they’d believe me." "They will believe you if you can find proof." "The man who can prove it won’t speak. I believe he could prove my guilt and Rupert’s innocence absolutely if he would speak. Several things have come to my knowledge since the trial. That man is Robert Despard. He has disappeared from London and I can’t find him." Ruby was walking up and down the room now, her head thrown back, her fists tightly clenched. She looked magnificent, terrible.