All sweethearts like to sit on the bench at their cottage door, whennight falls.
Yann and Gaud did that likewise. Every evening they sat out togetherbefore the Moans' cottage, on the old granite seat, and talked love.
Others have the spring-time, the soft shadow of the trees, balmyevenings, and flowering rosebushes; they had only the Februarytwilight, which fell over the sea-beaten land, strewn with eel-grassand stones. There was no branch of verdure above their heads or aroundthem; nothing but the immense sky, over which passed the slowlywandering mists. And their flowers were brown sea-weeds, drawn up fromthe beach by the fishers, as they dragged their nets along.
The winters are not very severe in this part of the country, beingtempered by currents of the sea; but, notwithstanding that, thegloaming was often laden with invisible icy rain, which fell upontheir shoulders as they sat together. But they remained there, feelingwarm and happy. The bench, which was more than a hundred years old,did not seem in the least surprised at their love, having seen manyother pairs in its time; it had listened to many soft words, which arealways the same on the lips of the young, from generation togeneration; and it had become used to seeing lovers sit upon it again,when they returned to it old and trembling; but in the broad day, thistime, to warm themselves in the last sun they would see.
From time to time Granny Moan would put her head out at the door tohave a look at them, and try to induce them to come in. "You'll catchcold, my good children," said she, "and then you'll fall ill--Lordknows, it really isn't sensible to remain out so late."Cold! they cold? Were they conscious of anything else besides thebliss of being together.
The passers-by in the evening down their pathway, heard the softmurmur of two voices mingling with the voice of the sea, down below atthe foot of the cliffs. It was a most harmonious music; Gaud's sweet,fresh voice alternated with Yann's, which had soft, caressing notes inthe lower tones. Their profiles could be clearly distinguished on thegranite wall against which they reclined; Gaud with her white headgearand slender black-robed figure, and beside her the broad, squareshoulders of her beloved. Behind and above rose the ragged dome of thestraw thatch, and the darkening, infinite, and colourless waste of thesea and sky floated over all.
Finally, they did go in to sit down by the hearth, whereupon oldYvonne immediately nodded off to sleep, and did not trouble the twolovers very much. So they went on communing in a low voice, having tomake up for two years of silence; they had to hurry on their courtshipbecause it was to last so short a time.
It was arranged that they were to live with Granny Moan, who wouldleave them the cottage in her will; for the present, they made noalterations in it, for want of time, and put off their plan forembellishing their poor lonely home until the fisherman's return fromIceland.
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