Dot sat in her chair, feeling rather weak. He fetched a bowl and set it on a chair by her side. He poured water into it from the kettle.
She looked up at him rather apprehensively. "I needn't scald it, need I?"
He smiled down at her in instant reassurance, a vivid smile that warmed her fear-chilled heart. His teeth were white and regular, like the teeth of a young wild animal.
"There's some cold water somewhere, isn't there?" he said.
She told him where to find it, and he cooled the steaming water to a temperature that she could endure without flinching. Then he made her rest her arm in it.
"That'll comfort it," he said. "Now, have you got any spirits in the house?"
"I don't drink spirits," she said quickly.
He smiled again. "No? But you must this time—just to complete the cure. Tell me where to find them!"
His smile was certainly magnetic, for she told him without further protest.
When he brought the spirits, she looked at him for the first time with active interest.