he recalled how tenderly she 'd stroked the dog , how she 'd looked at him with such affection . no , she was n't angry with him . i was too far away to hear what he was saying , but earth witch nodded after a while , then knelt down and put her hands on the ground . when he looked up he was the center of attention . she hesitated just a moment , then perhaps decided not to ask . it appeared that they had plenty of practice at this sort of thing in the past . 