"Throwing stones——?"
"I could only find the stable bucket—and I'm afraid I dropped it on David's head."
She put her wood down and, kneeling, stirred the heap of grey ash in the fireplace. Her breath roused it to redness, and the twigs that she threw on crackled with flame. Benham watched her as though the kindling of that fire was one of the most wonderful things that he had ever seen. The burning wood threw a warmth upon her, and made her black hair gleam.
"Don't you love making a fire?"
"Yes, when it is not at six o'clock on a winter morning."
"Oh, I love that, too. It is so glorious to get warm."
To Benham the whole adventure had been incredibly delightful. Only by degrees did he become conscious of himself, of his bare legs, and the general precipitation of his dress. But somehow these things did not seem to matter. The girl had picked up the incidents of the night as naturally as she would have gathered wind-blown apples out of the grass.
"There's David."
Sounds came from some far-off corner of the house. Nance disappeared, to return with a skillet full of milk, a cup, and some bread and cheese on a plate.
"I am going to heat this milk for you."