“Then watch!”
Sitting down on the door-step, she cracked one of her eggs gently, picked away the loosened bit of shell at its end, and put the egg to her lips.
“Oh!” he said. “So that’s it!” and sitting down beside her, he followed her example.
He had heard of sucking eggs, but he had never before tried it, and he found it rather difficult and not particularly pleasant. But the first egg undoubtedly did assuage the pangs of hunger; the second assuaged them still more, and the third quite extinguished them. In fact, he felt a little surfeited.
“Now,” she said, “for the dessert.”
“Dessert!” protested Stewart. “Is there dessert? Why didn’t you tell me? I never heard of dessert for breakfast, and I’m afraid I haven’t room for it!”
“It will keep!” she assured him, and leading him around the larger of the outbuildings, she showed him a tree hanging thick with ruddy apples. “There are our supplies for the campaign!” she announced.
“My compliments!” he said. “You would make a great general.”
They ate one or two apples and then filled their pockets. From one of hers, the girl drew a pipe and pouch of tobacco.
“Would you not like to smoke?” she asked. “I have been told that a pipe is a great comfort in times of stress!”