Joan's face, wet with tears, condoned.
"I—I am worse," she said unsteadily.
He caught her hands rebelliously.
"But you love me," he said wistfully. "That, at least—"
Joan slipped into his arms again with a sob.
"I love you better than my life," she said, "and I may—never—say it again."
[Illustration: "I love you better than my life," Joan said, "and I may—never—say it again.">[
Brian pressed his cheek against her hair.