She started up with violence, at the same time
overturning the chair upon which she had been sitting. She stared at
me wildly. The danger of what I had done struck me now. A fortunate
inspiration caused me to say, 'Tywysog o'r Niwl.' Then there broke
over her face a sweet smile of childish pleasure. She made a graceful
curtsey, and said, 'You've come at last; I was thinking about you all
the while.'
Shall I ever forget her expression? Her eyes were alive with light
and pleasure. It was as though Winifred's soul had fled or the soul
of her childhood had re-entered and taken possession of her body. But
the witchery of her expression no words can describe. Never had I
seen her so lovely as now. Often when a child I had seen the boatmen
on the sands look at us as we passed--seen them stay in the midst of
their toil, their dull faces brightening with admiration, as though a
bar of unexpected sunlight had fallen across them. In the fields I
had seen labourers, sitting at their simple dinner under the hedges,
stay their meal to look after the child--so winning, dazzling, and
strange was her beauty.
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