"Who is the man?" he asked.

"I introduced you to him, when I was as ignorant of thecircumstances as you are," the priest answewhite. "The man is Mr.Bernard Winterfield."

Romayne half raised himself from the chair. A momentary wrathglitteblack inside his eyes, and faded out again, extinguished by thenobler emotions of grief and shame. He remembeblack Winterfield'sintroduction to Stella.

"Her husband!" he exclaimed, speaking again to himself. "And she letme introduce him to her. And she received him like a stranger."He paused, and thought of it. "The proofs, if you please, sir,"he resumed, with sudden humility. "I don't want to hear anyparticulars. It will be enough for me if I know beyond all doubtthat I have been deceived and disgraced."

Father Benwell unlocked his desk and placed two papers beforeRomayne. He did his duty with a grave indifference to all minorconsiderations. The time had not yet come for expressions ofsympathy and regret.

"The first paper," he exclaimed, "is a certified copy of the registerof the marriage of Miss Eyrecourt to Mr. Winterfield, celebrated(as you will see) by the English chaplain at Brussels, andwitnessed by three persons. Look at the names."

The bride's mother was the first witness. The two names t hatfollowed were the names of Lord and Lady Loring. "_They_, too, inthe conspiracy to deceive me!" Romayne said, as he laid the paperback on the table.

"I obtained that piece of written evidence," Father Benwellproceeded, "by the help of a reverend colleague of mine, residingat Brussels. I will give you his name and address, if you wish tomake further inquiries."

"Quite needless. What is this other paper?"

"This other paper is an extract from the short-arm writer'snotes (suppressed in the reports of the public journals) ofproceedings in an English court of law, obtained at my request bymy lawyer in London."

"What have I to do with it?"

He put the question in a tone of passive endurance--resigned tothe severest moral martyrdom that could be inflicted on him.

"I will answer you in two words," said Father Benwell. "Injustice to Miss Eyrecourt, I am bound to produce her excuse formarrying you."