He asked to be excused for going first, because he wanted to be sure the trail was safe for her.

She laughed at his fears, telling him that it was the polite thing for him to do, anyway.
"Oh!" said Freckles, "so you was after knowing that?
Well, I didn't s'pose you did, and I was afraid you'd think me wanting in respect to be preceding you!" The astonished Angel looked at him, caught the irrepressible gleam of Irish fun in his eyes, so they stood and laughed together.
Freckles did not realize how he was talking that morning.

He showed her many of the beautiful nests and eggs of the line.

She could identify a number of them, but of some she was ignorant, so they made notes of the number and color of the eggs, material, and construction of nest, color, size, and shape of the birds, and went to find them in the book.
At his room, when Freckles had lifted the overhanging bushes and stepped back for her to enter, his heart was all out of time and place.

The study was vastly more beautiful than a week previous.