“And if I married her?” said Alan stubbornly.
“Why? If you’re happy,” said Ben, shrugging his shoulders, “I’m sure that’s your affair. And I say, Skipper—we’re grown up, so let’s quit scrapping.” He sat down and stretched himself before the little wood fire and began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” said Alan suspiciously.
“Guess Davy can figure it out.”
He grew suddenly solemn and laid his hand on my arm.
“Sometime, when I’m not around, you can tell him—you would, anyhow. Fact, Alan, I wasn’t laughing at you. If you’re good at guessing, that ought to shut you up. Let’s talk of other things.”
Toinon came and stood warming her ankles at the fire, looking down on the three of us. From her height she began to smile, in an amused way.
“You are alike as three ogres,” she said, drawing her finger over her eyebrows, to indicate the characteristic Littledale line. “You will lunch with us?”
“Y-a de quoi manger, ma petite?”