Page 225 - sons-and-lovers

which, bending a little, be could see the plum trees in the
back garden and the lovely round hills beyond.
‘Won’t you lie down?’ said Mrs. Leivers.
‘Oh no; I’m not tired,’ he said. ‘Isn’t it lovely coming out,
don’t you think? I saw a sloe-bush in blossom and a lot of
celandines. I’m glad it’s sunny.’
‘Can I give you anything to eat or to drink?’
‘No, thank you.’
‘How’s your mother?’
‘I think she’s tired now. I think she’s had too much to do.
Perhaps in a little while she’ll go to Skegness with me. Then
she’ll be able to rest. I s’ll be glad if she can.’
‘Yes,’ replied Mrs. Leivers. ‘It’s a wonder she isn’t ill her-
self.’
Miriam was moving about preparing dinner. Paul
watched everything that happened. His face was pale and
thin, but his eyes were quick and bright with life as ever. He
watched the strange, almost rhapsodic way in which the girl
moved about, carrying a great stew-jar to the oven, or look-
ing in the saucepan. The atmosphere was different from that
of his own home, where everything seemed so ordinary.
When Mr. Leivers called loudly outside to the horse, that
was reaching over to feed on the rose-bushes in the garden,
the girl started, looked round with dark eyes, as if some-
thing had come breaking in on her world. There was a sense
of silence inside the house and out. Miriam seemed as in
some dreamy tale, a maiden in bondage, her spirit dream-
ing in a land far away and magical. And her discoloured,
old blue frock and her broken boots seemed only like the

Sons and Lovers