Women in Love

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,