Marie put her hand to her throat as if she were choking.
"I thought we were getting along well together."
94 "Did you? That all depends what you mean by well! I suppose it's all right, if it suits you."
She gave a queer little laugh.
"Chris, you are not trying to pretend that you're in love with me!" The words seemed forced from her and her heart beat to suffocation as she waited for his reply.
It came without a second's hesitation.
"I suppose I've never been in love with any woman, but if there ever has been anyone it's been you, Marie Celeste."
A poor little grain of comfort, and yet it was comfort to know that nobody else came before her.
She felt almost happy for the rest of the day; even Feathers noticed that her eyes were brighter and that there was more color in her cheeks.
"This place is doing you good at last, Mrs. Lawless," he said to her during the evening. "It's the first time I've seen you with a color."