ssed in front of the cabins; on her head
she carried a large bundle tied up in a brightly colored patchwork
counterpane. As she drew near the first house she espied her friend Mrs.
Johnson sitting on her front step enjoying the air, with the last young
Johnson, Nando, on her knee. The first woman (Celestine knew that she
was called Jinny) stopped, put one arm akimbo, and, steadying her bundle
with the other hand, began to sway herself slightly from side to side at
the hips, while her bare feet, which were visible, together with a space
of bare ankle above, coming out below her short cotton skirt, moved
forward in a measured step, the heel of the right being placed
diagonally against the toes of the left, and then the heel of the left
in its turn advanced with a slow level sweep, and placed diagonally
across the toes of the right. There was little elevation of the sole,
the steps, though long, being kept as close as possible to the ground,
but without touching it, until the final down pressure, which was deep
and firm. There seemed to be no liberty allowed, it was a very exact
measure that Jinny was treading; the tracks made by her heel, the broad
spread of her foot, and the five toes in the white dust, followed each
other regularly in even zigzags which described half circles. Thus
swaying herself rhythmically, turning now a little to the right, now a
little to the left, Jinny slowly approached Mrs. Johnson, who regarded
her impassively, continuing to trot Nando without change of expression.
But when Jinny had come within a distance of fifteen feet, suddenly Mrs.
Johnson rose, dropped her offspring (who took it philosophically), and
began in her turn to sway herself gently from side to side, and then,
with arms akimbo, her bare feet performing the same slow, exact
evolutions, she advanced with gravity to meet Jinny, the two now joining
in a crooning song. They met, circled round each other three times with
the same deliberate step and motion, their song growing louder and
louder. Then Mrs. Johnson shook her skirts, flung out her arms with a
wild gesture, and stopped as suddenly as she had begun, walking back to
her door-step and picking up Nando, while Jinny, advancing and taking up
a comfortable position on one broad foot (idly stroking its ankle
meanwhile with the dust-whitened sole of the other), the two fell into
conversation, with no allusion either by word or look to the mystic
exercises of the moment before.

"Ho