Folk-might followed presently, and she stayed not again, nor turned,
nor beheld him; he recked not if she had, for then would he have come
up with her and hailed her, and he knew that she was no foolish
maiden to start at the sight of a man who was the friend of her Folk.
So they went their ways till she came to the strand of the water-
meadow brook aforesaid, and she went through the little ripples of
the shallow without staying, and on through the tall deep grass of
the meadow beyond, to where they met the brook again; for it swept
round the meadow in a wide curve, and turned back toward itself; so
it was some half furlong over from water to water.
She stood a while on the brink of the brook here, which was brim-full
and nigh running into the grass, because there was a dam just below
the place; and Folk-might drew nigher to her under cover of the
thorn-bushes, and looked at the place about her and beyond her. The
meadow beyond stream was very fair and flowery, but not right great;
for it was bounded by a grove of ancient chestnut trees, that went on
and on toward the southern cliffs of the Dale: in front of the
chestnut wood stood a broken row of black-thorn bushes, now growing
green and losing their blossom, and he could see betwixt them that
there was a grassy bank running along, as if there had once been a
turf-wall and ditch round about the chestnut trees.
Pages:
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434