Thus freed of that strangling embrace, Dick stumbled blindly to
his feet. Then, mechanically, his hand went to the lamp on the
table back of the couch. In the same moment Garson snapped his
torch to darkness. When, after a little futile searching, Dick
finally found the catch, and the mellow streamed forth, he
uttered an ejaculation of stark amazement, for his gaze was
riveted on the face of the woman he loved.
"Good God!" It was a cry of torture wrung from his soul of souls.
Mary swayed toward him a little, palpitant with fear --fear for
herself, for all of them, most of all for him.
"Hush! hush!" she panted warningly. "Oh, Dick, you don't
understand."
Dick's hand was at his throat. It was not easy for him to speak
yet. He had suffered severely in the process of being throttled,
and, too, he was in the clutch of a frightful emotion. To find
her, his wife, in this place, in such company--her, the woman
whom he loved, whom, in spite of everything, he had honored, the
woman to whom he had given his name! Mary here! And thus!
"I understand this," he said brokenly at last.
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