“And—­pardon me the indiscreet question—­is he capable of doing so?”

“If he uses my fortune for the purpose—­certainly! and I have at once placed it at his disposal; and I further told him that he could take everything, even the last penny, if this sacrifice on my part would 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 understand how I could have presumed to trouble you with my worries.”

“If you would only, Mrs. Irwin, show me how I can be of service to you, I would pray you to make any use you will of me.  I am absolutely and entirely at your disposal, and your confidence would make me exceedingly happy.”

“As a gentleman, you could not, of course, give any other answer.  But, in your heart of hearts, you probably consider my conduct both unwomanly and unbecoming, for it is true that we hardly know each other.  Over in England, and certainly in your German fatherland quite as well, such casual meetings as ours have been could not possibly give me the right to treat you as a friend, and I do not really know how far you are influenced by these European considerations.”

“In Germany, as in England, every defenceless and unhappy woman would have an immediate claim upon my assistance,” he seriously replied.  “If you give me the preference over your friends here, I, on my part, have only to be grateful, and need not inquire further into your motives.”