He had not entered my consciousness until then.
While I sat listening I felt a tweak of my hair, and looking around I saw the Dunkelberg girl standing behind me with a saucy smile on her face.
"Won't you come and play with me ?" she asked.
I took her out in the garden to show her where my watermelon had lain.
At the moment I couldn't think of anything else to show her.

As we walked along I observed that her feet were in dainty shiny button-shoes.
Suddenly I began to be ashamed of my feet that were browned by the sunlight and scratched by the briers.

The absent watermelon didn't seem to interest her.
"Let's play house in the grove," said she, and showed me how to build a house by laying rows of stones with an opening for a door.
"Now you be my husband," said she.
Oddly enough I had heard of husbands but had only a shadowy notion of what they were.

I knew that there was none in our house.
"What's that ?" I asked.
She laughed and answered: "Somebody that a girl is married to." "You mean a father ?" "Yes." "Once I had a father," I boasted.
"Well, we'll play we're married and that you have just got home from a journey.

You go out in the woods and then you come home and I'll meet you at the door." I did as she bade me but I was not glad enough to see her.
"You must kiss me," she prompted in a whisper.
I kissed her very swiftly and gingerly--like one picking up a hot coal--and she caught me in her arms and kissed me three times while her soft hair threw its golden veil over our faces.
"Oh I'm so glad to see you," she said as she drew away from me and shook back her hair.
"Golly! this is fun!" I said.
"Ask: 'How are the babies ?'" she whispered.
"How are the babies ?" I asked, feeling rather silly.
"They're fine.