'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 relieved to find you so reasonable, Mrs. Blake. It is certainly wiser and better to tell me yourself. You have my promise that, as far as possible, I will give you my help; but at present I do not know how this may be.'