he atmosphere was grey and translucent, the birds sang sharply on the young twigs, the earth would be quickening and hastening in growth. The two girls walked swiftly, gladly, because of
hedges glowed like living shadows, hovering nearer, comi
translucent vista of trees and meadow. Fine electric activity in sound came from the dumbles below th
mossy boat-house under a walnut tree, and a little landing-stage where a boat was moored, wavering li
ite arc through the air, there was a bursting of the water, and among the smooth ripples a swimmer was making out to space, in a centre of faint
by the stone
she said, in low
ered Ursula
ing the swimmer move further into the grey, moist, full space of the water, puls
ere you?' asked Gudr
a. `But I'm not su
having swum a certain distance, turned round and was swimming on his back, looking along the water at the two g
ld Crich,'
' replie
self because of his own advantage, his possession of a world to himself. He was immune and perfect. He loved his own vigorous, thrusting motion, and the violent impulse of the ve
ving,' sa
. He waved again, with a strange moveme
a. Gudrun said nothing, only sto
of the waters, which he had all to himself. He exulted in his isolation in the new element, unquestioned and unconditioned.
n of pure isolation and fluidity seemed to her so terribly desira
is to be a m
aimed Ursula
lushed and brilliant. `You're a man, you want to do a thing, you do
run's mind, to occasion this ou
want to do?
up that water. It is impossible, it is one of the impossibilities of life, for me to take m
ushed, so furious, th
hortlands. They looked up at the long, low house, dim and glamorous in the wet morning
t's attractive, Ur
ula. `Very peace
, too -- it
t pe
ertain; Dorothy Wordsworth and
a lau
hink so?' re
ow Gerald is putting in a private electric plant, for lighti
ged her shou
said, `that's q
takes them all by the scruff of the neck, and fairly flings them along. He'll have to die soon, when
r seen a man that showed signs of so much. The unfortunat
a. `It goes in applying
y,' sai
hot his brothe
ied Gudrun, frowning a
laying together with a gun. He told his brother to look down the gun, and
ried Gudrun. `Bu
aid Ursula. `I think it is one of
did not know that
or years. Nobody dreamed it would ever go off, and of course, no one
of it all through one's life. Imagine it, two boys playing together -- then this comes upon them, for no reason whatever -- out of the air. Ursula, it's ver
said Ursula. `This playing at killing has some pr
aying at killing. I suppose one boy said to the other, "You look down the barrel while
tiest gun in the world, not if some-one were looking down
or some moments, in
rown up, one's instinct prevents one. But I cannot see
was cold
t moment they heard a woman's v
ce in the field on the other side of the hedge, and Laura Crich struggling wi
p flushed and amazon-like, yet rather c
ula. `And they
ing!' cr
ow. Are you going for a walk? Yes. Isn't the young green beautiful? So beautiful -- quite burning. Good mornin
missal, smiling a strange affected smile, making a tall queer, frightening figure, with her heavy fair hair s
e far enough, Ursula sa
nk she's
Roddice?' asked
treats one
otice that was so impudent?'
one. Pure bullying. She's an impudent woman. "You'll come and see
Gudrun, in some exasperation. `One knows those women are impudent --
cessary -- so vulg
our moi, elle n'existe pas. I don't gr
she likes you?
shouldn't t
k you to go to Breada
her shoulders
hatever she is, she's not a fool. And I'd rather have somebody I detested, than the ordin
dered this
. I suppose we ought to admire her for knowing she c
aren't do it. She makes the most of her privileges -- that's so
ore me. I couldn't spend my time p
off everything that came athwart them; or like a knif
a thousand times more beautiful than ever she is or was, and to my thinking, a thousand times more beautifully dressed, fo
dly!' sai
be admitted, simp
ely ordinary, so perfectly commonplace and like the person in the street, that you really are a ma
ul!' cri
t be anything that isn't amazingly a terre, so much a t
te oneself into nothing
s dull, that's just the word. One longs to be high
lushed and excited ov
One wants to strut, to
d Gudrun, `a sw
on't feel a bit like a humble and pathetic ugly duckling. I do feel like a swan among geese --
sula with a queer, unc
to do is to despise them
week, and the beginning and end of the holidays. This was a whole life! Sometimes she had periods of tight horror, when it seemed to her that her life would pass away, and be gone,