The Rainbow

"When must you get back?" she asked.

"I'm not particular," he said.

There the conversation again broke down.

Brangwen's companions were ready to go on.

"Art commin', Tom," they called, "or art for stoppin'?"

"Ay, I'm commin'," he replied, rising reluctantly, an angry

sense of futility and disappointment spreading over him.

He met the full, almost taunting look of the girl, and he

trembled with unusedness.

"Shall you come an' have a look at my mare," he said to her,

with his hearty kindliness that was now shaken with

trepidation.

"Oh, I should like to," she said, rising.

And she followed him, his rather sloping shoulders and his

cloth riding-gaiters, out of the room. The young men got their

own horses out of the stable.

"Can you ride?" Brangwen asked her.

"I should like to if I could--I have never tried," she

said.

"Come then, an' have a try," he said.

And he lifted her, he blushing, she laughing, into the

saddle.

"I s'll slip off--it's not a lady's saddle," she

cried.

"Hold yer tight," he said, and he led her out of the hotel

gate.

The girl sat very insecurely, clinging fast. He put a hand on

her waist, to support her. And he held her closely, he clasped

her as in an embrace, he was weak with desire as he strode

beside her.

The horse walked by the river.

"You want to sit straddle-leg," he said to her.

"I know I do," she said.

It was the time of very full skirts. She managed to get

astride the horse, quite decently, showing an intent concern for

covering her pretty leg.

"It's a lot's better this road," she said, looking down at

him.

"Ay, it is," he said, feeling the marrow melt in his bones

from the look in her eyes. "I dunno why they have that

side-saddle business, twistin' a woman in two."

"Should us leave you then--you seem to be fixed up

there?" called Brangwen's companions from the road.

He went red with anger.

"Ay--don't worry," he called back.

"How long are yer stoppin'?" they asked.

"Not after Christmas," he said.

And the girl gave a tinkling peal of laughter.

"All right--by-bye!" called his friends.

And they cantered off, leaving him very flushed, trying to be

quite normal with the girl. But presently he had gone back to

the hotel and given his horse into the charge of an ostler and

had gone off with the girl into the woods, not quite knowing

where he was or what he was doing. His heart thumped and he

thought it the most glorious adventure, and was mad with desire

for the girl.