Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jays]

Pleas explain "This behind their hands; rustling of craned silk and satin behind jalousies" in the following passage (among "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner).
--- the following -----
And as soon as the old people said,"Poor Emily," the wispering began."Do you suppose it's really so?" they said to one another."Of course it is. What else could ..." This behind their hands: rustling of craned silk and satin behind jalousies closed upon the sun of Sunday afternoon as the thin,swift clop-clop-clop of the matched team passed: "Poor Emily."

[MrPedantic]

Hello Jays

You can break it down like this:

"They said this ("Poor Emily") behind their hands. There was a rustle of silk and satin as they craned their necks to look through the blinds, when the well-matched horses went past with a clop-clop-clop sound. (The blinds were closed because of the Sunday afternoon sun.)"

MrP