And even now she was not discontented; but this acquaintanceship which had sprung up so strangely between her and Mr.Orme was like the touch of a warm hand stretched out from the great world, and its sudden warmth awoke her to the coldness, the dreariness of her life.
As she entered the hall, Jessie came in by the back door with her apron full of eggs.
"I saw you come in, Miss Ida, so I thought I'd just bring you these to show you; they're laying finely now, ain't they ?" Ida looked round, from where she stood going through the form of drying her thick but small boots against the huge log that glowed on the wide dog-iron.
"Yes: that is a splendid lot, Jessie!" she said, with a smile.

"You will have some to send to market for the first time this season." "Yes, miss," said Jessie, deftly rolling the eggs into a basket.

"But I'm thinking there won't be any need to send them to Bryndermere market.

Jason's just been telling me that the new folks up at Brae Wood have been sending all round the place for eggs and butter and cream and fowls, and Jason says that he can get so much better prices from them than from Bryndermere.

He was thinking that he'd put aside all the cream he could spare and kill half a dozen of the pullets--if you don't object, Miss Ida ?" Ida's face flushed, and she looked fixedly at the fire.