Page 199 - sons-and-lovers

She looked at him with dilated dark eyes.
‘No,’ she laughed, trembling.
Then she rose and went indoors. She seemed to be in
some way resentful of the boy.
‘He thinks I’m only a common girl,’ she thought, and she
wanted to prove she was a grand person like the ‘Lady of
the Lake”.
Paul found his mother ready to go home. She smiled on
her son. He took the great bunch of flowers. Mr. and Mrs.
Leivers walked down the fields with them. The hills were
golden with evening; deep in the woods showed the dark-
ening purple of bluebells. It was everywhere perfectly stiff,
save for the rustling of leaves and birds.
‘But it is a beautiful place,’ said Mrs. Morel.
‘Yes,’ answered Mr. Leivers; ‘it’s a nice little place, if only
it weren’t for the rabbits. The pasture’s bitten down to noth-
ing. I dunno if ever I s’ll get the rent off it.’
He clapped his hands, and the field broke into motion
near the woods, brown rabbits hopping everywhere.
‘Would you believe it!’ exclaimed Mrs. Morel.
She and Paul went on alone together.
‘Wasn’t it lovely, mother?’ he said quietly.
A thin moon was coming out. His heart was full of hap-
piness till it hurt. His mother had to chatter, because she,
too, wanted to cry with happiness.
‘Now WOULDN’T I help that man!’ she said.
‘WOULDN’T I see to the fowls and the young stock! And
I’D learn to milk, and I’D talk with him, and I’D plan with
him. My word, if I were his wife, the farm would be run, I

1 Sons and Lovers