Domestic fiction; Family -- England -- Midlands -- Fiction; Midlands (England) -- Fiction
The wind blew in on Ursula’s face, the mud flew in a soft, wild rush
from the wheels, the country was blackish green, with the silver of new
hay here and there, and masses of trees under a silver-gleaming sky.
Her hand tightened on his with a new consciousness, troubled. They did
not speak for some time, but sat, hand-fast, with averted, shining
faces.
And every now and then the car swung her against him. And they waited
for the motion to bring them together. Yet they stared out of the
windows, mute.
She saw the familiar country racing by. But now, it was no familiar
country, it was wonderland. There was the Hemlock Stone standing on its
grassy hill. Strange it looked on this wet, early summer evening,
remote, in a magic land. Some rooks were flying out of the trees.
Ah, if only she and Skrebensky could get out, dismount into this
enchanted land where nobody had ever been before! Then they would be
enchanted people, they would put off the dull, customary self. If she
were wandering there, on that hill-slope under a silvery, changing sky,
in which many rooks melted like hurrying showers of blots! If they
could walk past the wetted hay-swaths, smelling the early evening, and
pass in to the wood where the honeysuckle scent was sweet on the cold
tang in the air, and showers of drops fell when one brushed a bough,
cold and lovely on the face!
But she was here with him in the car, close to him, and the wind was
rushing on her lifted, eager face, blowing back the hair. He turned and
looked at her, at her face clean as a chiselled thing, her hair
chiselled back by the wind, her fine nose keen and lifted.
It was agony to him, seeing her swift and clean-cut and virgin. He
wanted to kill himself, and throw his detested carcase at her feet. His
desire to turn round on himself and rend himself was an agony to him.
Suddenly she glanced at him. He seemed to be crouching towards her,
reaching, he seemed to wince between the brows. But instantly, seeing
her lighted eyes and radiant face, his expression changed, his old
reckless laugh shone to her. She pressed his hand in utter delight, and
he abided. And suddenly she stooped and kissed his hand, bent her head
and caught it to her mouth, in generous homage. And the blood burned in
him. Yet he remained still, he made no move.
She started. They were swinging into Cossethay. Skrebensky was going to
leave her. But it was all so magic, her cup was so full of bright wine,
her eyes could only shine.
He tapped and spoke to the man. The car swung up by the yew trees. She
gave him her hand and said good-bye, naïve and brief as a schoolgirl.
And she stood watching him go, her face shining. The fact of his
driving on meant nothing to her, she was so filled by her own bright
ecstacy. She did not see him go, for she was filled with light, which
was of him. Bright with an amazing light as she was, how could she miss
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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