The next day Christine came again, and although she was comforted by the fact that the baby still seemed better Noel thought he had never seen or imagined such absolute sadness as both her face and manner showed. The picture progressed in long spaces of absolute silence, while Christine sat as immovable as the sleeping child near by. It seemed to Noel, in spite of his inexperience, that the child lay more in a state of than sleep, and that its argued the very lowest degree of , but Christine seemed satisfied when he was asleep and so Noel made no comment.  
During the sitting that day he asked Christine if he would prove himself a nuisance to either her or her husband if he sometimes called in the evening. To the first part of the she replied that she would be glad to see him, and to the latter, with a sort of hopeless wonder, that Mr. Dallas would not mind.
 
Noel went once, and once only. The visit was too painful to himself, and he felt also to Christine, to be repeated. The barrenness of the place seemed an to her and made the of her beauty seem cruelly out of place. But more than all, when Noel looked on the untidy and insensibility of the man who was at liberty to call her wife, and whom she acknowledged as husband, he felt it . He was even worse than he remembered him. he had, at least, dressed well and kept up the forms of civility. Noel could imagine that he was now glad to be rid of the trouble. He did not even care to be particular about his person since he was now in a position where that bother could be with.
 
As soon as Noel began to talk to Christine Dallas filled his pipe and went off to the table to play solitaire. Noel fancied that the smell of the rank tobacco, which was unimproved in quality, made the poor girl sick. It was a relief when Dallas got up after a while, and shoving the cards together in a heap left the room. Then Noel inquired for the baby. Somehow he always shrank from speaking of it before Dallas.
 
“He is asleep up-stairs. Eliza is with him: He is better,” said Christine, “but the doctor says there is no certainty until the hot weather is over. Oh, it’s selfish of me to want him to live,” she added, with a sudden in her voice, “but it isn’t that; it isn’t life I want for him—only to keep him with me—to be where he is. If I could—”
 
She broke off huskily, and Noel, out of pity for her, got up and walked to the other end of the little room. When he got back she had recovered, and said with a smile:
 
“I am out of patience with myself for being gloomy now. You will think me such a poor coward. The baby is better and I will try to be bright. I said in my [Pg 117]prayers to God that if He would let my baby get better I would be happy, and ask for nothing else. But what do you think this is?” she added, with a change of tone, drawing something from her pocket and holding it hid in her closed hand.
 
“I can’t imagine,” said Noel, full of delight to see that look of interest and amusement on her face.
 
“A present for you from me! Isn’t that funny? It isn’t anything very valuable and perhaps you won’t care............