Surprised as I was by her statement, yet the truth as thus revealed
failed to startle me seriously. Vaguely I had suspicioned the
possibility before, not really believing it could be so, and yet struck
by the similarity in circumstances of the two women. Consequently the
shock of final discovery was somewhat deadened, and I retained the pose
of thought. Moreover, to know her identity was an actual relief.
Before, I had half doubted the righteousness of my cause, at times
almost felt myself a criminal. Now that I could openly associate
myself with Philip Henley's wife, in a struggle to retain for her what
was justly her own, all feeling of doubt vanished, and I became grimly
confident of the final result. Perhaps the relief I felt found
expression in my face, for the woman exclaimed:

"I believe you are actually glad; that it pleases you to know this."

"It certainly does," I replied swiftly, "for now I can work openly,
knowing exactly what I ought to do. I have felt like a rat skulking in
a hole. I believed what those men told me; they convinced me with
proofs I could not ignore, but they must have lied. In some details,
at least, they must have deceived. Now would it be possible for Philip
Henley to be in a penitentiary convicted of crime?"

"It would not be," she returned firmly. "There was no time after I
left him for an arrest and conviction. That alone is sufficient to
convince me of fraud and conspiracy. More than that, Philip Henley was
not one to commit a crime of that nature, and there was no reason why
he should. His remittances were amply sufficient. Under the influence
of liquor he might commit assault, or even murder, but never forgery."

"Then what do you think has occurred?"