“You are here, I think, for shelter from the storm.” It had not occurred to him before that she looked upon him as a chance wanderer. “That shows your ignorance of the situation. I am here to rescue you. I left my fireside for no other reason. As I came along I said at every blast, ‘that poor, poor girl.’ I set out to bring you to safety. I begin to think I was born for no other reason.” She smiled rather wearily, “Your coming at all is so strange that I could almost believe you.” “You may thoroughly believe me, more easily perhaps when I tell you I did not particularly want to come. I started out at dawn very cross and cold because I did not know what I was going to find....” “But I thought you said you did know that you were going to rescue a girl?” “A girl, yes. But what’s a mere girl? How many thousand girls have I seen in my life? Is that a thought to turn a man’s head? What I did not know was that I was going to find _you_.” “The fire will never burn with the chimney strewn on the floor,” she said mildly. “Well, I’ve said it, you see,” he answered, “and you won’t forget it, even if you do change the subject.” He turned his attention to the fire. Where is the man, worthy of the name to whom the business of fire building is not serious? Presently seeing he needed help she dropped to her knees beside him and tried to shove a piece of wood into place. In the process her numbed fingers touched his, and he instantly dropped everything to catch her hand in both of his. “Your hands are as cold as ice,” he said, holding them tightly, and thanking Fate that this bounty had fallen to his lot. She withdrew them. “You are too conscientious,” she said. “That is not part of the duty of a rescue party.” “It is, it is,” said Geoffrey violently. “It is the merest humanity.” “Humanity?” “To me, of course, if you will pin me down.” “Oh, there is no reason for the rescued to be humane.” “They ought to be grateful.” “They are.” “_Gratefuller_ then. Is it nothing that I have taken all the trouble to be born and grow up and live just to come here for you?” “Perhaps I could be gratefuller if there were any prospect of a fire.” “Oh, curse the fire,” said Geoffrey rising from his knees. “Who minds about it?” “I mind very much.” “Well, you mustn’t. You must not mind about anything, because it sets up too strong a reaction in me. There’s no telling what I might not do under the stress. Come away from this dreadful place. The fires will burn in my house, and that is where we are going.” “I can’t do that,” she said, looking very grave. “You can’t do anything else.” “I must wait for my brother. He’s out somewhere in this storm, and if he comes back and finds me gone—” “Oh, your brother,” said Geoffrey, “I forgot all about him. He’s at my house already. He sent me for you.” “Oh,” said she, sighing with relief, and then added maliciously: “then my plight was not revealed to you in a vision?” “The vision is with me now.”