she was surprised at the way Chris suddenly flushed. 

"Yes, I know," he said. "I saw her last night." 

They went in to breakfast together. Marie thought she had never seen such a big room. She kept close to Chris, conscious that all eyes were upon her. 

Feathers and young Atkins occupied a table a little way from theirs, and Atkins got up as soon as he saw Marie, and came over to ask how she was. 

"I'm quite well, thank you, and isn't it a lovely morning?" 

"Ripping! I say, can you swim?" 

"Yes." 

Chris looked up. "Can you?" he asked in surprise, then laughed and colored, realizing how very little he really knew about Marie and her accomplishments. 

"I wish people wouldn't stare at me so," she said to him nervously, when breakfast was over and they were out in the lounge once more. "Is there anything funny-looking about me, Chris?" 

He cast a casual eye over her daintiness. 

"You look all right," he said, without much enthusiasm. "Probably they know we're newly married." he added. 

Marie said nothing, but she turned away from him and looked out over the sea, a little wintry smile on her quivering lips. 

He was quite indifferent to her, she knew! And in her passionate pain and bitterness she almost wished for his hatred. Anything, anything rather than this terrible feeling that she was nothing at all in his life! 

Young Atkins joined them almost immediately and attached himself to Marie. 

36 "We're going to bathe presently." he said. "You'll come, too, won't you?" 

36

Marie looked at her husband, but he was talking to someone else, and she answered hurriedly. 

"Oh, yes, I'll come, of course! What time are you going?" 

"We generally go about half-past ten—before the crowd gets down. We'll take a boat out if you're sure you can swim." 

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