there she began to play in the water, but not for long, but
came splashing through the shallow and hurried on her
raiment.

When she was clad again she went up to the horse, and patted
and caressed him, and did bridle and saddle on him, and was
going to climb upon him, when, of a sudden, she thought she
would lead him across, lest there should be a hole near the
other bank and he might stumble into it unwarily; so she
bared her feet once more and trussed up her gown skirts, and
so took the ford, leading the beast; the water was nowhere
up to mid-leg of her, and she stepped ashore on to short
and fine grass, which spread like a meadow before her, with
a big thorn or two scattered about it, and a little grassy
hill beset with tall elms toward the top, coming down into
the flat of the meadow and drawing round it nearly up to the
river on the north side.

But now she stood staring in wonder and some deal of fear;
for there were three milch kine feeding on the meadow, and,
moreover, under a thorn, scarce a hundred yards from where
she stood, was a tall man standing gazing on her. So
stricken was she that she might neither cry out nor turn
aside; neither did she think to pull her gown out of her
girdle to cover the nakedness of her legs.

When they had thus stood a little while the man began to
move toward her very slowly, nor did she dare to flee any
the more. But when he was within half a dozen paces her
face flushed red, and she did pull her gown out of its