It was as though they had sprung out of the ground. I accosted
them very politely in my capacity of stranger, and requested to be
told the names of all manner of hills and woods and places that I
did not wish to know, and we stood together for a while and had an
amusing little talk. The wind, too, made himself of the party,
brought the colour into their faces, and gave them enough to do to
repress their drapery; and one of them, amid much giggling, had to
pirouette round and round upon her toes (as girls do) when some
specially strong gust had got the advantage over her. They were
just high enough up in the social order not to be afraid to speak
to a gentleman; and just low enough to feel a little tremor, a
nervous consciousness of wrong-doing--of stolen waters, that gave a
considerable zest to our most innocent interview. They were as
much discomposed and fluttered, indeed, as if I had been a wicked
baron proposing to elope with the whole trio; but they showed no
inclination to go away, and I had managed to get them off hills and
waterfalls and on to more promising subjects, when a young man was
descried coming along the path from the direction of Keswick. Now
whether he was the young man of one of my friends, or the brother
of one of them, or indeed the brother of all, I do not know; but
they incontinently said that they must be going, and went away up
the path with friendly salutations.
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