Those of them that were spotted with white reflected the sunshine in dazzling brilliancy, and the polished brass knobs on their horns glittered with something of military display. Their large-veined udders hung ponderous as sandbags, the teats sticking out like the legs of a gipsy's crock; and as each animal lingered for her turn to arrive the milk oozed forth and fell on drops to the ground. The dairymaids and men had flocked down from their cottages and out of the dairy-house with the arrival of the cows from the meads; the maids walking in patterns, not on account of the weather, but to keep their shoes above the mulch of the barton. Each girl sat down on her three-legged stool, her face sideways, her right cheek resting against the cow; and looked musingly along the animal's flank at Tess as she approached.Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, 1891
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Polished Brass Knobs on Their Horns (Her Face Sideways)
Labels:
Cows,
Milkmaids,
Ponderous as Sandbags,
Tess,
Thomas Hardy,
Words
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 maids a-milking:
Post a Comment