Barney, a seasoned woodsman, teaches Valancy to know all of the different types of trees and forest plants, how to fish, and- for the first time in her life- sleep outside under the stars. Valancy scarcely feels like the same person she was back in Deerwood, and she doesn't look much like that hopeless, downtrodden spinster, either. With her new found joy and confidence, fresh air and exercise, Valancy's looks reflect her increased happy and healthy lifestyle. Her hair cut and flattering new clothes further augment her appearance, and Barney pays her no end of compliments:
"Moonlight and blue twilight--that is what you look like in that dress. I like it. It belongs to you. You aren't exactly pretty, but you have some adorable beauty-spots. Your eyes. And that little kissable dent just between your collar bones. You have the wrist and ankle of an aristocrat. That little head of yours is beautifully shaped. And when you look backward over your shoulder you're maddening--especially in twilight or moonlight. An elf maiden. A wood sprite. You belong to the woods, Moonlight--you should never be out of them. In spite of your ancestry, there is something wild and remote and untamed about you. And you have such a nice, sweet, throaty, summery voice. Such a nice voice for love-making."
"Shure an' ye've kissed the Blarney Stone," scoffed Valancy. But she tasted these compliments for weeks.
At one point Barney catches a bad cold which Valancy fears will turn to pneumonia; she nurses him through it anxiously and purchases a bottle of Redfern's Liniment to rub his chest with... Barney hurls the bottle out into the frozen lake and orders her never to bring the "devilish stuff" there again. He recovers quickly, lack of liniment notwithstanding, and Valancy begins planning for Christmas. Barney asks her what she wants for a gift and Valancy, who the previous year had received a pair of goloshes, tells him that she wants something "frivolous and unnecessary". She decorates the cabin with fir boughs, cooks a goose, and the two spend a quiet and peaceful Christmas together on their island. Valancy opens her present from Barney: it is a beautiful necklace of pearl beads and she loves it though she worries a little that Barney may have spent too much on it- at least fifteen dollars. Valancy doesn't know anything about Barney's finances; he keeps a jar of cash on the fireplace mantel for household expenses and it is never empty though Valancy never catches him replenishing it. But of course, he can't have a lot of money to spare for unnecessary items... Valancy is slightly troubled, but then decides to put aside her worries and just enjoy her gift. It's the first pretty piece of jewelry she's ever owned.