Over the Hills and Far Away 



ing of her eyes and a nervous shrug of her sloping 

 shoulders. 



The beech tree stands at the entrance to the 

 cool green glade which ends abruptly in a wall of 

 oaks above a sandy bank that slopes steeply down 

 to the river. Skirting the edge of the pine-woods, 

 the river comes winding in a long curve flanked on 

 either side by the willow copse and the slope of a 

 flat fat meadow — the monk's pasture ; for the 

 ruined abbey is only half a mile away, and the 

 monks of old invariably fastened on the richest 

 land in their region. 



There are cows grazing and they lift their heads 

 in fear as they wind the dogs. They come lumber- 

 ing towards us. They know themselves to be 

 larger than the enemy and instinctively they hope 

 to overawe by sheer bulk and show of courage. 

 The dogs look to us. We are not afraid : — Jane 

 puts a brave face on it and sighs with thankful- 

 ness that the stream is between us and them — and 

 the day is gloriously hot, and the immediate busi- 

 ness is swimming. 



Elisabeth's contempt for humanity leaves her 

 fairly reasonable, though rather viciously senti- 

 mental, about animals. She throws sticks for Billy, 

 and I find Jane gazing at the blue hills and the 

 flight of birds, and the little red house in the 



109 



