Ida drew back in loathing.
"Stand back!" she cried. "Do not attempt to touch me, or I shall cry out for help!"
A fierce imprecation broke from the man's lips.
"What do you mean by all this high and mighty nonsense?" he cried. "Speak at once. You are my wife! Why shouldn't I lay hands on you?"
"No!" she cried. "Though you have so cruelly deceived me, I thank God that I am not your wife."
He threw back his fair, handsome head, and a laugh that was not pleasant to hear fell from his lips.
"Don't make any mistake about that!" he cried. "I remember what I wrote you—that there was some illegality in the ceremony which made our marriage invalid. But I learned afterward, when I met the chap who performed the ceremony, that it was entirely legal. If you doubt that what I say is true, I can easily convince you of the truth of my assertion."
Ida drew back with a cry so awful that he looked at her.
"Well, well, who can understand the ways of women?" he remarked, ironically. "I thought that you would rejoice over the fact that our marriage was legal, but I find that you are sorry."