suffice to get rid of him for ever."

Heideck could scarcely believe his ears. He was prepared for anything on
earth except to hear such confessions. He began to doubt this woman, who
hitherto had seemed to him to be the paragon of all feminine virtues,
and he sought an opportunity of escaping from further confessions of the
kind, which, as he told himself, she would repent of in the course of an
hour or so.

"Nobody can expect of you, Mrs. Irwin, that for a criminal recklessness,
a hasty action on the part of your husband, who was probably deep in his
cups, you should make such a tremendous sacrifice; but, as you have now
done me the honour to consult me on these matters, it is perhaps not
unbecoming on my part if I tell you that your husband should, in my
opinion, be forced to bear the consequences of his action. You need not
be at all apprehensive that these consequences will be very serious.
McGregor will certainly not press him; and as we seem to be on the
threshold of a war, his superior officers are not likely to be too
severe upon him in this matter. He will, perhaps, either find an
opportunity to rehabilitate his compromised honour or will find his
death on the battlefield. Within a few weeks, or months, all these
matters which at present cause you so much trouble will present quite a
different aspect."

"You are very kind, Mr. Heideck, and I thank you for your friendly
intentions; but I would not have invited you here at this unusual hour
had it been solely my intention to enlist your kind sympathy. I am in a
most deplorable plight--doubly so, because there is no one here to whom
I can turn for advice and assistance. That in my despair I thought of
you has, no doubt, greatly surprised you; and now I can myself hardly