Helena glanced shrewdly from Joan to Matthias. He smiled his confidence
in her, knowing that he might count upon her doing the right thing to
put the girl at ease--just shoulders of the girl as positively as he
might count upon her violent opposition to the match as soon as she
discovered that he had engaged himself to her pet abomination, a woman
of the stage.
With a bright nod to him, she turned back to Joan; drew slowly near to
her; dropped kindly hands upon the shoulders of the girl.
"But, my dear!" she exclaimed in a tone of expostulation--"you are
beautiful!"