"Certainly! And now if you really like me as well as you say you do, come give me a kiss." "I won't!" said Cap, "until you have done your supper and washed your face! Your beard is full of crumbs!" "Very well, I can wait awhile! Meantime just brew me a bowl of egg-nog, by way of a night-cap, will you?" said the outlaw, drawing off his boots and stretching his feet to the fire. "Agreed, but it takes two to make egg-nog; you'll have to whisk up the whites of the eggs into a froth, while I beat the yellows, and mix the other ingredients," said Cap. "Just so," assented the outlaw, standing up and taking off his coat and flinging it upon the floor. Cap shuddered, but went on calmly with her preparations. There were two little white bowls setting one within the other upon the table. Cap took them apart and set them side by side and began to break the eggs, letting the whites slip into one bowl and dropping the yellows into the other. Black Donald sat down in his shirt sleeves, took one of the bowls from Capitola and began to whisk up the whites with all his might and main. Capitola beat up the yellows, gradually mixing the sugar with it. In the course of her work she complained that the heat of the fire scorched her face, and she drew her chair farther towards the corner of the chimney, and pulled the stand after her. "Oh, you are trying to get away from me," said Black Donald, hitching his own chair in the same direction, close to the stand, so that he sat immediately in front of the fireplace. Cap smiled and went on beating her eggs and sugar together. Then she stirred in the brandy and poured in the milk and took the bowl from Black Donald and laid on the foam. Finally, she filled a goblet with the rich compound and handed it to her uncanny guest. Black Donald untied his neck cloth, threw it upon the floor and sipped his egg-nog, all the while looking over the top of the glass at Capitola. "Miss Black," he said, "it must be past twelve o'clock." "I suppose it is," said Cap. "Then it must be long past your usual hour of retiring." "Of course it is," said Cap. "Then what are you waiting for?" "For my company to go home," replied Cap. "Meaning me?" "Meaning you." "Oh, don't mind me, my dear." "Very well," said Cap, "I shall not trouble myself about you," and her tones were steady, though her heart seemed turned into a ball of ice, through terror. Black Donald went on slowly sipping his egg-nog, filling up his goblet when it was empty, and looking at Capitola over the top of his glass. At last he said: "I have been watching you, Miss Black." "Little need to tell me that," said Cap. "And I have been reading you." "Well, I hope the page was entertaining." "Well, yes, my dear, it was, rather so. But why don't you proceed?" "Proceed--with what?" "With what you are thinking of, my darling." "I don't understand you!" "Why don't you offer to go down-stairs and bring up some lemons?"