Sentence:  It is at precisely such moments that he encounters a couple of undergraduates , faces alight , <WSD>holding</WSD> hands and talking happily as they come along , oblivious of him , or throwing him the most fleeting and casual of glances , such as they would give a tethered goat . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have or hold in one's hands or grip