"I think she'd make a good wife to any man who was fortunate enough--"

"Oh, what a dreadful way to talk of the poor girl!"

"On the contrary, I admire her extremely."

"I believe you are engaged to her."

"Not as much as you are to Hickson."

Christine laughed. "From the way you describe her," she said, "I believe
she'd make a perfect wife for Ned."

"Oh, she's much too good for him."

"Thank you. You seem to think I'll do nicely for him."

"Ah, but she's much better than you are."

"And yet you said you'd rather have me here than her."

He smiled. "I think," he said, and Christine rather waited for his
next words, "I think I shall go down and see if I can't get the
furnace going."

Nevertheless, she said to herself when he was gone, "I should not feel at
all easy about him, if I were the other girl."

She knew there was no prospect of their being rescued that night. When