登陆注册
37364200000052

第52章

Overlaying the flush of rose in her cheeks, seen only when she stood against the sunlight, was a faint sheen of down, a lustrous floss, delicate as the pollen of a flower, or the impalpable powder of a moth's wing.She was moving to and fro about her work, alert, joyous, robust; and from all the fine, full amplitude of her figure, from her thick white neck, sloping downward to her shoulders, from the deep, feminine swell of her breast, the vigorous maturity of her hips, there was disengaged a vibrant note of gayety, of exuberant animal life, sane, honest, strong.She wore a skirt of plain blue calico and a shirtwaist of pink linen, clean, trim; while her sleeves turned back to her shoulders, showed her large, white arms, wet with milk, redolent and fragrant with milk, glowing and resplendent in the early morning light.

On the threshold, Annixter took off his hat.

"Good morning, Miss Hilma."

Hilma, who had set down the copper can on top of the vat, turned about quickly.

"Oh, GOOD morning, sir;" and, unconsciously, she made a little gesture of salutation with her hand, raising it part way toward her head, as a man would have done.

"Well," began Annixter vaguely, "how are you getting along down here?""Oh, very fine.To-day, there is not so much to do.We drew the whey hours ago, and now we are just done putting the curd to press.I have been cleaning.See my pans.Wouldn't they do for mirrors, sir? And the copper things.I have scrubbed and scrubbed.Oh, you can look into the tiniest corners, everywhere, you won't find so much as the littlest speck of dirt or grease.

I love CLEAN things, and this room is my own particular place.

Here I can do just as I please, and that is, to keep the cement floor, and the vats, and the churns and the separators, and especially the cans and coppers, clean; clean, and to see that the milk is pure, oh, so that a little baby could drink it; and to have the air always sweet, and the sun--oh, lots and lots of sun, morning, noon and afternoon, so that everything shines.You know, I never see the sun set that it don't make me a little sad;yes, always, just a little.Isn't it funny? I should want it to be day all the time.And when the day is gloomy and dark, I am just as sad as if a very good friend of mine had left me.Would you believe it? Just until within a few years, when I was a big girl, sixteen and over, mamma had to sit by my bed every night before I could go to sleep.I was afraid in the dark.Sometimes I am now.Just imagine, and now I am nineteen--a young lady.""You were, hey?" observed Annixter, for the sake of saying something."Afraid in the dark? What of--ghosts?""N-no; I don't know what.I wanted the light, I wanted----" She drew a deep breath, turning towards the window and spreading her pink finger-tips to the light."Oh, the SUN.I love the sun.

See, put your hand there--here on the top of the vat--like that.

Isn't it warm? Isn't it fine? And don't you love to see it coming in like that through the windows, floods of it; and all the little dust in it shining? Where there is lots of sunlight, I think the people must be very good.It's only wicked people that love the dark.And the wicked things are always done and planned in the dark, I think.Perhaps, too, that's why I hate things that are mysterious--things that I can't see, that happen in the dark." She wrinkled her nose with a little expression of aversion."I hate a mystery.Maybe that's why I am afraid in the dark--or was.I shouldn't like to think that anything could happen around me that I couldn't see or understand or explain."She ran on from subject to subject, positively garrulous, talking in her low-pitched voice of velvety huskiness for the mere enjoyment of putting her ideas into speech, innocently assuming that they were quite as interesting to others as to herself.She was yet a great child, ignoring the fact that she had ever grown up, taking a child's interest in her immediate surroundings, direct, straightforward, plain.While speaking, she continued about her work, rinsing out the cans with a mixture of hot water and soda, scouring them bright, and piling them in the sunlight on top of the vat.

Obliquely, and from between his narrowed lids, Annixter scrutinised her from time to time, more and more won over by her adorable freshness, her clean, fine youth.The clumsiness that he usually experienced in the presence of women was wearing off.

Hilma Tree's direct simplicity put him at his ease.He began to wonder if he dared to kiss Hilma, and if he did dare, how she would take it.A spark of suspicion flickered up in his mind.

Did not her manner imply, vaguely, an invitation? One never could tell with feemales.That was why she was talking so much, no doubt, holding him there, affording the opportunity.Aha!

She had best look out, or he would take her at her word.

"Oh, I had forgotten," suddenly exclaimed Hilma, "the very thing I wanted to show you--the new press.You remember I asked for one last month? This is it.See, this is how it works.Here is where the curds go; look.And this cover is screwed down like this, and then you work the lever this way." She grasped the lever in both hands, throwing her weight upon it, her smooth, bare arm swelling round and firm with the effort, one slim foot, in its low shoe set off with the bright, steel buckle, braced against the wall.

"My, but that takes strength," she panted, looking up at him and smiling."But isn't it a fine press? Just what we needed.""And," Annixter cleared his throat, "and where do you keep the cheeses and the butter?" He thought it very likely that these were in the cellar of the dairy.

同类推荐
  • 劝修净土切要

    劝修净土切要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 无垢优婆夷问经

    无垢优婆夷问经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 贡愚录

    贡愚录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 通玄真经缵义

    通玄真经缵义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 壬归

    壬归

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 我应山间等鹤鸣

    我应山间等鹤鸣

    我在黑夜祈祷着光,光照了进来只是为了显得我更狼狈。“单于璟宸,你对不起我。我咒你生生世世忘了我,再不遇良人”直到死的最后,她仍是不想伤了他。只是终究他们再也不会见了。“映雪,下辈子我一定要先于世界找到你”
  • 团宠的自我修养

    团宠的自我修养

    月伶在一个下雨天被车撞了,然后……她就华丽丽的穿越了!并且穿越到一个出生有九天玄鸟盘旋祝贺,六岁测出毫无灵力的废材小姐身上。原以为和她订婚的太子会来退婚,爱慕太子的姐姐会来欺负她,天才长兄会因为她是个废材而冷嘲热讽她,父亲会因为她是个废材而嫌弃她。姐姐,哥哥,父亲天天在她面前争宠!阿喂,你们怎么不按套路出牌啊?
  • 鬼狐——虚空虚幻

    鬼狐——虚空虚幻

    鬼因而而意,且与实际与共,天有好生之德乃为人死为鬼人不见鬼,鬼不见人,天地人三界不相往来,秩序依旧如斯我本乃为鬼界冥帝的女儿却因三界打乱而流失于人界被异界的玄羽圣君捡到看看到底有怎样的经历,啊你个大坏蛋你弄疼我了
  • 妖孽王爷溺宠异能王妃1

    妖孽王爷溺宠异能王妃1

    他是星辰国神话般的人物,受人敬仰尊敬,外表冷酷无情,其实腹黑的紧。她是月歆整个王爷府的宝贝,实则却是穿越重生的异能杀手。当他们撞在一起的时候会擦出怎样的火花呢?此文男主及其腹黑,女主扮猪吃虎,超级溺宠。欢迎收看此文,如有不足,请多多见谅。欢迎加我QQ1466473535
  • 乱世妖娆之异能皇妃

    乱世妖娆之异能皇妃

    史上最蛋疼的穿越,莫过于我们伟大的女主掉进下水道里穿越了...她是21世纪顶级异能师,一出生便携带超强异能,世人视她为异类!被家人遗弃,孤独的活了下来!他是冥界阎君,掌管世人生死,唯独掌管不了她的生死,他许诺她未来,她说人鬼殊途...他是龙水国身受皇帝喜爱的王爷,将来的帝位十有八九非他莫属!他不惜一切要她,只因为知道她与众不同,想要占为己有...他是龙水国皇帝痛恨的傀儡太子,世人皆知他是废材,她助他破离奇大案,他为她绾三千青丝,他用生命来承诺她的一生,她却不能接受,她有不死之躯,他没有,和他在一起,只能换来生生世世的等待...群号:175053481
  • 我在青春忘了爱你

    我在青春忘了爱你

    徒手摘星,爱而不得,世人万千,你再难遇我,女:“你是傻子吗?你明明知道我还喜欢他,你为什么还要待在我身边,你明明就知道我们没有结果,我会害了你,你为什么还要这样”男:“我答应过她要一直保护你,你喜不喜欢我无所谓,你幸福就好,我愿意等你”下辈子换我等你好吗
  • 如果不爱请放开我的手

    如果不爱请放开我的手

    由于遗传因素,让她患上了跟妈妈一样的病魔,使得她跟爱的人,从此分离
  • 误惹腹黑男:老婆再爱我一次

    误惹腹黑男:老婆再爱我一次

    靠,不就是想事情的时候不小心跟你发生了点小车祸吗?我这个受害者都没说什么你有必要这么嚣张吗?什么!他居然是妈妈朋友的儿子,而自己居然要搬到他家去寄人篱下。天哪,这日子无法过了啊!他果然不是什么好鸟,居然敢阴我……八年后……“欧先生有没有听过一句话?”“什么话?”“孔雀开屏!”欧世轩瞬间黑了脸,这个女人居然敢说自己自作多情!你给我等着,这辈子我绝对不会放过你……
  • 相爱这一生

    相爱这一生

    这本书讲了我的故事希望大家喜欢并且与大家一起进步
  • 逆天召唤师:腹黑王爷妖娆妃

    逆天召唤师:腹黑王爷妖娆妃

    她与他在这里相识,相知。本以为能够一生一世一双人,那承想却是如此的捉弄,如此的命中注定。忘川河畔,她问他,你怎么变成这样了?他答道,因为你。一行清泪自她脸上流下,来世,我只望能够平平淡淡的过完这一生,也不愿拥有这样的感情。再相遇,他们形同陌路,而她也遇到了一个真正的良人,故事就此展开......