my solitary unfriended life--my life before I knew
you.

"My darling, you have been cruelly treated. You have been entrapped
into marrying a man who has been publicly accused of poisoning his first
wife--and who has not been honorably and completely acquitted of the
charge. And you know it!

"Can you live on terms of mutual confidence and mutual esteem with me
when I have committed this fraud, and when I stand toward you in this
position? It was possible for you to live with me happily while you were
in ignorance of the truth. It is _not_ possible, now you know all.

"No! the one atonement I can make is--to leave you. Your one chance of
future happiness is to be disassociated, at once and forever, from my
dishonored life. I love you, Valeria--truly, devotedly, passionately.
But the specter of the poisoned woman rises between us. It makes no
difference that I am innocent even of the thought of harming my first
wife. My innocence has not been proved. In this world my innocence can
never be proved. You are young and loving, and generous and hopeful.
Bless others, Valeria, with your rare attractions and your delightful
gifts. They are of no avail with _me._ The poisoned woman stands between
us. If you live with me now, you will see her as I see her. _That_
torture shall never be yours. I love you. I leave you.

"Do you think me hard and cruel? Wait a little, and time will change
that way of thinking. As the years go on you will say to yourself,
'Basely as he deceived me, there was some generosity in him. He was man
enough to release me of his own free will.'

"Yes, Valeria, I fully, freely release you. If it be possible to annul
our marriage, let it be done. Recover your liberty by any means that
you may be advised to employ; and be assured beforehand of my entire and
implicit submission. My lawyers have the necessary instructions on this
subject. Your uncle has only to communicate with them, and I think he
will be satisfied of my resolution to do you justice. The one interest
that I have now left in life is my interest in your welfare and your
happiness in the time to come. Your welfare and your happiness are no
longer to be found in your union with Me.

"I can write no more. This letter will wait for you at the hotel. It
will be useless to attempt to trace me. I know my own weakness. My heart
is all yours: I might yield to you if I let you see me again.

"Show these lines to your uncle, and to any friends whose op