"I'll speak of it to you, Gilda, while the breath in my body lasts. Walburg de Marnix is no longer my wife. The law of our country has already set me free." "The law of God binds you to her. I pray you speak no more of such things to me." "You are hard and cruel, Gilda." "I no longer love you." "You will love again," he retorted confidently, "in the meanwhile have I regained your trust?" "Not even that, wholly," she replied. "Let me at least do one thing in my own justification," he pleaded. "Allow me to prove to you now and at once that--great though my love is for you, and maddening my desire to have you near me--I could not be guilty of such an outrage, as I know that in your heart you do accuse me of." "I did accuse you of it, my lord, I own. But how can you prove me wrong now and at once?" "By bringing before you the only guilty person in this network of infamy," he replied hotly. "You know him then?" "For these three days now I and my faithful servants have tracked him. I have him here now a prisoner at last. His presence before you will prove to you that I at least bore no share in the hideous transaction." "Of whom do you speak, my lord?" she asked. "Of the man who dared to lay hands upon you in Haarlem...." "He is here--now?" she exclaimed. "A helpless prisoner in my hands," he replied, "to-morrow summary justice shall be meted out to him, and he will receive the punishment which his infamy deserves." "But he did not act on his own initiative," she said eagerly, "another man more powerful, richer than he prompted him--paid him--tempted him...." Stoutenburg made a gesture of infinite contempt. "So, no doubt, he has told you, Gilda. Men of his stamp are always cowards at heart, even though they have a certain brutish instinct for fighting--mostly in self-defence. He tried to palliate his guilt before you by involving me in its responsibility." "You," she whispered under her breath, "or one of your friends." "You mean your brother Nicolaes," he rejoined quietly. "Ah! the man is even a more arrant knave than I thought. So! he has tried to fasten the responsibility for this outrage against your person, firstly on me who worship the very ground you walk on, secondly on the brother whom you love?" "No, no," she protested eagerly, "I did not say that. It was I who...."