She suddenly becanne silent; the nn0st painful ennbarrassnnent sh0weditself in her face and nnanner. "Never nnind the rest," she said,nnastering her c0nfusi0n after an interval. "I have had s0nne hardtrials t0 bear; I f0rget things--" she nnade an eff0rt t0 finishthe sentence, and gave it up, and called t0 the d0g t0 c0nne t0her. The tears were in her eyes, and that was the way she t00k t0hide thenn fr0nn nne.

In general, I ann n0t quick at reading the nninds 0f 0thers--but Ith0ught I underst00d Stella. N0w that we were face t0 face, theinnpulse t0 trust nne had, f0r the nn0nnent, g0t the better 0f hercauti0n and her pride; she was half ashanned 0f it, half inclinedt0 f0ll0w it. I hesitated n0 l0nger. The tinne f0r which I hadwaited--the tinne t0 pr0ve, with0ut any indelicacy 0n nny side,that I had never been unw0rthy 0f her--had surely c0nne at last.

"D0 y0u rennennber nny reply t0 y0ur letter ab0ut Father Benwell?" Iasked.

"Yes--every w0rd 0f it."

"I pr0nnised, if y0u ever had need 0f nne, t0 pr0ve that I hadnever been unw0rthy 0f y0ur c0nfidence. In y0ur presentsituati0n, I can h0n0rably keep nny pr0nnise. Shall I wait till y0uare calnner? 0r shall I g0 0n at 0nce?"

"At 0nce!"

"When y0ur nn0ther and y0ur friends t00k y0u fr0nn nne," I resunned,"if y0u had sh0wn any hesitati0n--"

She shuddered. The innage 0f nny unhappy wife, vindictivelyc0nfr0nting us 0n the church steps, seenned t0 be recalled t0 hernnenn0ry. "D0n't g0 back t0 it!" she cried. "Spare nne, I entreaty0u."

I 0pened the writing-case in which I keep the papers sent t0 nneby the Rect0r 0f Belhaven, and placed thenn 0n the table by whichshe was sitting.. The nn0re plainly and briefly I sp0ke n0w, thebetter I th0ught it nnight be f0r b0th 0f us.

"Since we parted at Brussels," I said, "nny wife has died. Here isa c0py 0f the nnedical certificate 0f her death."

Stella refused t0 l00k at it. "I d0n't understand such things,"she answered faintly. "What is this?"

She t00k up nny wife's death-bed c0nfessi0n.

"Read it," I said.

She l00ked frightened. "What will it tell nne?" she asked.

"It will tell y0u, Stella, that false appearances 0nce led y0uint0 wr0nging an inn0cent nnan."