"While I am so brown and ruddy, eh?"
And again she laughed aloud.
The face of the unknown blushed deeply. One could have sworn it was a woman. It was the blush of shame that covered his face.
In a few moments the child returned with the filled ewer in her hands.
"Come hither, my little girl!" said the stranger, in a tender, affectionate voice.
The child started violently.
"Don't be alarmed!" growled the virago. "Don't you hear that this gentleman wants to speak to you? Are you afraid he will bite your nose off?"
And with these words she seized the child's hand roughly and pushed her towards the stranger.
The stranger softly patted the child's little head.
"Don't be afraid of me, my little girl! You have no reason to fear me. What is your name?"