For a moment she fingered her glove where it lay upon the desk. Then a look of more pronounced determination and courage came upon her face as she raised her eyes once more to Garrison's.
She said:
"Are you married?"
A flush came at once upon Garrison's face—and memories and heartaches possessed him for a poignant moment. He mastered himself almost instantly.
"No," he said with some emotion, "I am not."
"Then," she said, "couldn't you undertake the task yourself?"
Garrison leaned forward on the table. Lightning from an azure sky could have been no more astonishing or unexpected.
"Do you mean—will I play this rôle—as your husband?" he said slowly.
"Is that what you are asking?"
"Yes," she answered unflinchingly. "Why not? You need the money; I need the services. You understand exactly what it is I require. It is business, and you are a business man."
"But I have no wish to be a married man, or even to masquerade as one," he told her bluntly.