"I guessed
your difficulty. Surely you must see the only conceivable inference?"
"I did see it."
"And, seeing, do you not forgive?"
"Yes, that. But you married me while you still thought me guilty. I
forgive you for denying it at the time. I suppose that was necessary.
But you have not yet told me why you did it."
"Honestly, Rachel, it was largely fascination--"
"But not primarily."
"No."
"Then let me hear the prime motive at last, for I am tired of trying to
guess it!"
Steel stood before his wife as he had never stood before her yet, his
white head bowed, his dark eyes lowered, hands clasped, shoulders bent,
the suppliant and the penitent in one.
"I did it to punish you," he said. "I thought some one must--I felt I
could have hanged you if I had spoken out what I had seen--and
I--married you instead!"
His eyes were on the ground. When he raised them she was smiling through
unshed tears. But she had spoken first.
"It was not a very terrible motive, after all," she had said; "at least,
it has not been such a very terrible--punishment!"
"No; but that was because I did the very last thing I ever thought of
doing.
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