surest way of searing the bitter wound my action would cause. Remember, he left me no alternative. The break had to be final, or he would seek you out and slay you without mercy, and I knew only too well that he not only meant what he said, but that our laws would support and public opinion acclaim his action. Well, I traveled with him to England, and have been so ill ever since--though not physically such a wreck as I have pretended to be--that Marten believes I am suffering from the effects of the heat wave, and has compelled me to endure the treatment and scrutiny of many doctors. And today, one of them---- But now I must be dumb, except to tell you that, whether or not it means death to both of us, you _must_ come and take me away to some secret place where none can find us. Don't think that this letter is written in a moment of impulse. It is not the product of a woman's hysteria. It is a cry from my very heart. And, in the midst of my desolation, I am glad--oh, so glad! I am aflame with a delight that is almost superhuman; for I know that you will understand, and that nothing on earth can ever part us again. My tears are falling on this page, but my higher and truer self is singing a canticle of praise and wonderful joy. Hurry, Derry, hurry! "I am, and have ever been, "Your true and devoted "NANCY."