"You are right. There _is_ a moral code—a law of conscience. In my heart I know that no matter what other men have done in the West in their madness for gold, the fever for wealth, nothing the law holds will make Jeff’s responsibility to you any the less in my sight. I—I did not know. You believe me, don’t you? I did not know. Even if I had known, perhaps it would not have made any difference. But I am sure of one thing—I could never have married a man to live on what he had stolen from another." As he turned toward her she put her hands over her face. "Oh, I am shamed—shamed. Perhaps I could have done something; I would have tried. You know that I would have tried—don’t you?"
"Yes, yes, I know. I would not have told, I would not have made you unhappy—but it maddens me to see you here with what is mine—his wife." He took her hands down and made her look in his face. "Don’t think harshly of me. It isn’t the money. If you could have had it—if you didn’t have to share it with him—can’t you understand?"
But she would not look at him, and only murmured, "I understand—I understand many things I did not know before. But the one thing that seems most important is that I am his wife. Whatever he has done to others, he has been very good, very gentle and kind to me."
He dropped her hands and turned violently away. "How could you?" he groaned. "How could you have married him?"
The words were wrung from her quickly, like the sudden dropping of a burden which shocked by the noise of its impact before she was conscious of its loss. She turned in the same moment and looked at him, hoping that he had not heard her. But before she could prevent him he had caught her in his arms and held her close to his body, so that, struggle as she might, there was no chance for her to escape. And in his eyes she saw the gleam of an old delight, a bright, wild spark among the embers of bitterness.
"Camilla!" he whispered. "I know now. God forgive me that I did not know before—out there in the schoolhouse, when you gave yourself to him. You loved me then—you love me now. Isn’t that why you tremble, Camilla? You need not speak. Your heart is close to mine and I can read——"
"No, no, no," she murmured. "It is not true. You must not. I did not mean—what I said, you misunderstood——"
