Deliberately, almost banally had I not realized his purpose, he changed the subject. He held her from him at arm's length.
“Ruth!” he exclaimed, half mockingly, half reprovingly. “Don't you think your morning negligee is just a little scanty even for this Godforsaken corner of the earth?”
Lips parted in sheer astonishment, she looked at him. Then her eyes dropped to her bare feet, her dimpled knees. She clasped her arms across her breasts; rosy red turned all her fair skin.
“Oh!” she gasped. “Oh!” And hid from Drake and me behind the tall figure of her brother.
I walked over to the pile of silken stuffs, took the cloak and tossed it to her. Ventnor pointed to the saddlebags.
“You've another outfit there, Ruth,” he said. “We'll take a turn through the place. Call us when you're ready. We'll get something to eat and go see what's happening—out there.”
She nodded. We passed through the curtains and out of the hall into the chamber that had been Norhala's. There we halted, Drake eyeing Martin with a certain embarrassment. The older man thrust out his hand to him.
“I knew it, Drake,” he said. “Ruth told me all about it when Cherkis had us. And I'm very glad. It's time she was having a home of her own and not running around the lost places with me. I'll miss her—miss her damnably, of course. But I'm glad, boy—glad!”
There was a little silence while each looked deep into each other's hearts. Then Ventnor dropped Dick's hand.
“And that's all of THAT,” he said. “The problem before us is—how are we going to get back home?”