Page 364 - sons-and-lovers

through the dead thistles and the tussocky grass, her arms
hanging loose. Rather than walking, her handsome body
seemed to be blundering up the hill. A hot wave went over
Paul. He was curious about her. Perhaps life had been cruel
to her. He forgot Miriam, who was walking beside him talk-
ing to him. She glanced at him, finding he did not answer
her. His eyes were fixed ahead on Clara.
‘Do you still think she is disagreeable?’ she asked.
He did not notice that the question was sudden. It ran
with his thoughts.
‘Something’s the matter with her,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ answered Miriam.
They found at the top of the hill a hidden wild field, two
sides of which were backed by the wood, the other sides by
high loose hedges of hawthorn and elder bushes. Between
these overgrown bushes were gaps that the cattle might have
walked through had there been any cattle now. There the
turf was smooth as velveteen, padded and holed by the rab-
bits. The field itself was coarse, and crowded with tall, big
cowslips that had never been cut. Clusters of strong flowers
rose everywhere above the coarse tussocks of bent. It was
like a roadstead crowded with tan, fairy shipping.
‘Ah!’ cried Miriam, and she looked at Paul, her dark
eyes dilating. He smiled. Together they enjoyed the field
of flowers. Clara, a little way off, was looking at the cow-
slips disconsolately. Paul and Miriam stayed close together,
talking in subdued tones. He kneeled on one knee, quickly
gathering the best blossoms, moving from tuft to tuft rest-
lessly, talking softly all the time. Miriam plucked the flowers