Sentence:  Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn <WSD>relieved</WSD> the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of. (from 14th c.)