[Envinyatar]

Derufin and Zimzi watch as Benat and Denegal approach . . .

‘Quickly, Zimzi! Come out here!’

Derufin stood on the porch of the cottage, stringing up a thin rope line frome one of the nearby trees to one of the porch’s posts. Zimzi had stirred up her bleaching brew, adding in the soured milk that Cook had given her, and was now wringing out the sodden tangle of curtains in preparation for hanging them in the sun.

‘I’m on my way. Last one’s in the basket,’ she called. She picked up the pouch of cleverly carved wooden pins for hanging clothes on a line she’d gotten as a present from one of the Shire ladies and placed it in the basket. ‘Well, here I am,’ she said, plunking the basket at Derufin’s feet, and reaching in to hand him one of the damp curtains. ‘Here! Help me get these hung, won’t you.’ She handed him several of the clothes-pins and began shaking out a curtain of her own to hang. ‘Now what was so urgent that you called to me in the first place,’ she asked, showing him how to use the pins.

‘Look there,’ Derufin said, pointing toward where the back door to the Inn’s kitchen was. ‘Look at those two fellows. I’ll bet they’re the ones Cook said she’d send.’

Zimzi’s mouth formed a small ‘O’ of surprise. ‘My! That is a very big “helper”! And his dog . . . he’s as big as a Shire pony.’ She broke into a small chuckle. ‘And the other fellow . . . the one that’s our size. What on earth has he got on his feet?’ Zimzi laughed aloud. ‘Trust Cook to send us her more interesting strays!’