“Isn’t it natural that I should cross the room to meet my own true wedded wife, sir?” said the visitor. “She can’t deny it; if I know anything of her she won’t deny it--we were married according to the rites of God’s holy ordinance in the Church; and those that God hath joined together--but I know she will not deny it.” “You know nothing of her,” said Jack. “All that you knew of her--all that you cared to know--was that her father had some money which you hoped to get your hands on to cover up the consequence of your fraud. But now you’re going to learn something of her. She escaped by a hair’s breadth from your clutches, and believing you to be dead--the report of your heroic death was another of your frauds, I suppose.” “I escaped by the mercy of God, sir, and my first thought was for her.” “Was it? Why was your first thought on getting out of gaol not for her? How was it that you were aboard that vessel?” “Circumstances beyond my control--but--ah! I wanted to begin life again and not drag her down with me. I felt that I had it in me, sir; I know that I had it in me.” “You knew that the report of your death was published in the American papers and you knew that it would appear in all the papers here. That was nearly four months ago, and yet you took no steps whatever to have that report contradicted. You wished everyone to believe that you were dead.” “What better chance could I have of beginning life afresh? It seemed as if the hand of God----” “Don’t trouble about the hand of God. You didn’t consider that it was due to the girl whom you had linked to your career of crime, to mention in confidence what your scheme was--to begin life again without being handicapped by your previous adventures that had landed you in gaol?” “I wanted to wait until I had redeemed the bitter past. I wanted to be able to go to her, an honourable man, and say to her, ‘Priscilla, bitter though the past may have been, yet by the mercy of God----’” “Quite so. That was quite a laudable aspiration, and it shows that your heart is in the right place.” “All that I thought about was her happiness, sir. I said, ‘If I have done her an injustice in the past, she shall find out I have atoned----’” “You thought of nothing but her happiness? Well, now that you come here and find that she is happy, what more do you want?” “I want her--my wife.” “Because you think that she will be happy with you? Why didn’t you go to her and tell her of your plans the very moment you were released from gaol?” “I hadn’t the courage to face her after what had happened, sir.” “That was your only reason?” “That was my only reason.” The man bent his head in an attitude of humility, and Jack Wingfield, who had spent six years of his life mingling with all sorts of men that go to make up a world, and who had acquired a good working knowledge of men of all sorts, looked at the man standing before him with bent head, and said: “You lie, sir; you went straight off to another woman.”