"Where was Valmai?" He had caught a glimpse of her in the afternoon as he returned from Abersethin, the path to which led him through Essec Powell's fields. Caught a glimpse of her only, for as ill luck would have it, as he crossed one corner of the field she was reaching the gate at the further corner. Other maidens wore white frocks and straw hats, but his heart told him that this was no other than Valmai. He could hear her singing as she went, a long wreath of ox-eyed daisies trailing behind her, the gate open and she was gone; but surely here were signs of her recent presence, for round the horns of Corwen, the queen of the herd of cows, was wreathed the rest of the daisy chain. She was a beautiful white heifer, with curly forehead and velvet ears. As Cardo approached and patted her neck, she looked softly at him out of her liquid brown eyes shaded with long black lashes. "She is a beauty!" said Cardo, looking at her with the critical eye of a farmer, "and worthy to be Valmai's pet. What a picture for Ellis to paint! Valmai and Corwen. By Jove, I'll try to manage it." Gwynne Ellis was delighted when Cardo broached the subject as they roamed over the cliff in the moonlight. "Can you paint animals and--er--er--human beings as well as you can scenery, Ellis?" "Not quite, perhaps, but still pretty well. You liked that sketch of 'The priest and the girl at the confessional,' didn't you?" "Yes--very much. Well, now, what do you say to a pretty white cow and her mistress?" "Oh! 'a pretty girl milking her cow'--a charming subject. Show it me, Cardo--not Betto, now--you don't mean Betto? though, 'pon my word, I have seen her look very picturesque on the milking stool." "No, no, no! Caton pawb! man, I'll show you a prettier picture than that. She's a lovely creature! with brown velvet eyes, her forehead all covered with little round curls." "What! a friz?" "Well, if you like to call it so. Lovely ears and a little soft nose, the whole surmounted by a pair of short brown horns." "Good heavens! the woman?" "Why, no! the cow, of course!" "Oh, I see; the friz and the brown eyes belong to a cow then,--but what of her mistress? My dear fellow, don't waste all your poetry on the cow." "As I haven't much to spare, you think. Well, her mistress is--Valmai!" and Cardo lifted his hat as he spoke. Gwynne Ellis took two or three long puffs at his pipe, and looked curiously at Cardo, who stood looking over at the glimmering light in one of the windows at Dinas.