Her distress of mind and her poverty seemed so indecently exposed
to view. He lingered a while in the thick of the crowd, torturing
himself with the horrible incongruity between it and the poor, dear
woman in the stateroom below. He had contrived to have put at her
disposal the best the boat afforded, but it was abominably meagre. What
business had she here at all? It was no place for her. His whole nature
rebelled at it, and he grew savage as he thought that it was no business
of his to put it right.

Throwing his cigar away he went below and knocked very gently at the
stateroom door. It was opened by Christine, who had, perhaps, bathed
her face, for the traces of tears were almost gone, though enough
remained to give her eyes an appealingness that went to his very heart.

"Well," he said, in that tentative tone which admits of any sort of
answer.

She looked immediately at the baby lying on the berth and stood aside to
let him see. "He is quiet," she said. "I don't think he is in any pain.
I am going to take him on deck again. The doctor said the only thing for
him was change of air. I couldn't take him away, so he said to bring him
down here on the water every afternoon would do him good, and I've been
bringing him every day."

"And is he better?" Noel said, forcing himself to appear to be thinking
chiefly of the child. He saw that the idea absorbed her so completely
that she had no thought of herself and apparently none of him, and this
was well.

"His fever is not so high," she said. "Oh, he has been so ill. Once I
thought--" but she broke off unable to speak, and turning toward the
berth caught up the child with the fervor of passion, though she did not
forget to touch him tenderly, and held him close against her. Then she
put on his little head a muslin cap that perhaps had fitted him once but
was now pitifully large, and carried her light burden out into the
saloon and up the steps, refusing Noel's offer to help her. They went
back to their old places, which were quiet and away from the crowd, and
when Noel had made her as comfortable as he could, he drew his chair
near and sat down. And then the watch began again. He looked at her, and
she looked down at the baby on her lap, and apparently the baby was no
more unconscious of the gaze bent on him than Christine was of the look
with which Noel steadily regarded her. He burned to ask her questions as
to what had taken place since he had seen her last, but he