was cold," acquiesced Willie, his eyes misty with thought. "But I
warn't noticin' there was no heat in the stove when I drew up here."

Celestina bit her lip. How characteristic the confession was!

"Well, there'll be a fire now very soon," said she, bustling out and
returning with paper and kindlings. "The kitchen will be warm as toast
in no time. An' I'll make you some hot coffee straight away. That
will heat you up. This northerly wind blows the cobwebs out of the
sky, but it does make it chilly."

Although Willie's eyes automatically followed her brisk motions and
watched while she deftly started the blaze, it was easy to see that he
was too deep in his own meditations to sense what she was doing.
Perhaps had his mood not been such an abstract one he would have
realized that he was directly in the main thoroughfare and obstructing
the path between the pantry and the oven. As it was he failed to grasp
the circumstance, and not wishing to disturb him, Celestina patiently
circled before, behind and around him in her successive pilgrimages to
the stove. Such situations were exigencies to which she was quite
accustomed, her easy-going disposition quickly adapting itself to
emergencies of the sort. So skilful was she in effacing her presence
that Willie had no knowledge he was an obstacle until suddenly the iron
door swung back of its own volition and in passing brushed his knuckles
with its hot metal edge.

"Ouch!" cried he, starting up from his chair.

"What's the matter?" called Celestina from the pantry.

"Nothin'. The oven door sprung open, that's all."

"It didn't burn you?"

"N--o, but it made me jump," laughed Willie. "Why didn't you tell me,
Tiny, that I was in your way?"

"You warn't in my way."

"But I must 'a' been," the man persisted. "You should 'a' shoved me
aside in the beginnin'."

Stretching his arms upward with a comfortable yawn, he rose and
sauntered toward the door.

"Now you're not to pull out of here, Willie Spence," Celestina objected
in a peremptory tone, "until you've had your breakfast. You had none
yesterday, remember, thanks to that pump; an' you had no dinner either,
thanks to Zenas Henry's pump. You're goin' to start this day right.
You're to have three square meals if I have to tag you all over Wilton
with 'em. I don't know what it is you've got on your mind this time,
but the world's worried along without it up to now, an' I guess it can
manage a little long