Greif sprang to his feet and seized Hilda by the wrist, his eyes and his whole expression full of horror and dismay.
'What have you done?' he cried. 'What you could not do,' answered Hilda boldly.
The colour had come back to her face, and the light to her eyes, and she met his gaze calmly and courageously. For some seconds neither moved, but stood looking at each other, he holding her tightly, she making no effort at resistance. Greif's first impression was that his wife had committed an act of sacrilege as well as a serious offence against the law. She had explained her meaning clearly enough when she tore up the letter, and he had understood all the consequences of the act at once. It would be useless to attempt a search for the fragments of paper, which were already scattered on the b
