Such a Sight as this...

Picture the scene; it’s the 19th century, mid-summer and somewhere, deep in a rural southern English valley, four dairymaids all dressed in their finest outfits are walking towards  the Sunday-morning service in the village church.  However, very heavy rain the night before has caused local flooding and the maids find their way along the lane blocked by a large body of water.
Farmer Angel Clare, who is out surveying the damage caused by the torrential rain, comes across the four maidens looking with dismay at the large puddle in front of them. 
‘The rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed quartet looked so charming in their light summer attire, clinging to the roadside bank like pigeons on a roof-slope, that he stopped a moment to regard them before coming close.  Their gauzy skirts had brushed up from the grass innumerable flies and butterflies which, unable to escape, remained caged in the transparent tissue as in an aviary.  Angel’s eye at last fell upon Tess, the hindmost of the four; she being full of suppressed laughter at their dilemma could not help meeting his glance radiantly’
Angel Clare lifts each maiden in his arms and carries them one by one to the other side of the puddle...but of course his only interest is Tess, so he carries her across last.
“I hope I’m not too heavy?’ she said timidly.

“O no, you are like an undulating billow warmed by the sun.  And all this fluff of muslin about you is the froth”
The text in italics is from Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D’Ubervilles’, my very favourite book.
Thanks to Jdo for hosting this excellent challenge. 

Apologies for lack of comments lately, I've had a bad period of migraines and I've got behind, I hope to catch up shortly. Thank you to all those who have commented and awarded stars etc.  It is very much appreciated.