Behind them the beggars and pickpockets plied their arduous calling; and in the rear of all, at a little distance, wandered the horses of the gentles, cropping the fresh grass, with no eye to the achievements of Temple Bar or London Bridge.

Beyond them soared the windmills and the hills of Isledon and Hoxton.
It was a scene familiar to me, for I had often taken it in before; and yet for a while to-day it seemed new, and my eye, as I waited at the post, wandered here and there to detect what it could be which made all seem so strange.

After a while I discovered that, wherever else they roamed, my glances returned always to one bright spot, close by where stood a maiden.
It seemed to me I had never known what beauty meant till I looked on her.

She was tall, and dressed more simply than many a citizen's wife, and yet her air was that of a goddess.

Every movement of her head bore the signs of queenliness; and yet in every feature of her face lurked a sweetness irresistible.