Women in Love
top of a slope just beyond the narrow little lake of Willey Water. Shortlands looked across a sloping meadow that might be a park, because of the large, solitary trees th
and picturesque, very peaceful, an
o rest. Gerald was host. He stood in the homely entrance hall, friendly and easy, attending to the
characteristic, imperious voice of one Crich woman or another calling 'Helen, come here a minute,' 'Marjory, I want you-here.' 'Oh, I say, Mrs Witham-.' There
they could not really talk, because of the glassy ravel of women's excited, cold laughter and running voices. They waited, uneasy, suspended, ra
peering about with her strong, clear face. She was
, mother?'
. And she went straight towards Birkin,
r low voice, that seemed to take no count o
in his readily-changing voice,
e,' she said, in her low voice. H
r see why one should take account of people, just because they hap
w people whom I find in the house. The children introduce them to me-"Mother, this is Mr So-and-so." I am n
s, but he was afraid to look into her heavy-seeing blue eyes. He noticed instead how her hair looped in slack, slovenly strands over her rather beautiful ears, which were not quite clean. Neither was
woman were conferring together like traitors, like enemies within the camp of the other people. He rese
atter,' he said, rathe
th sudden, dark interrogation,
n, MATTER?' she
han he wanted to. 'They jingle and giggle. It would be much better if the
im steadily w
imagine them,'
imagine, that's wh
with me to decide on their existence. I only know that I can't be expected to take count of them all. You can't
y,' he
hey?' she a
repeated. And there
's another. And I really don't know John from James yet. They come up to me and call me mother. I know what they will say-"how are you, mother?" I ought to say
suppose s
, forgetting perhaps that she was tal
d not guess what she was looking for, nor what
all there?' she a
startled, af
them, except Ge
t wanting of them all. You'd never thi
said B
t her eldest son, stared a
foundly cynical. Birkin felt afraid, as if he dared not realise. And
e a friend,' she said. 'H
atching heavily. He could not understand them. 'Am I my
brother in such wise. Gerald as a boy had accidentally killed his brother. What then? Why seek to draw a brand and a curse across the life that had caused the accident? A man can live by accident, and die by accident. Or can he not? Is every man's life subject to pure accident, is i
ny such thing as accident. It all h
his, one of the Crich da
n a minute, and it's a formal occasion, darling, isn't it?' She drew her arm through
y manservant, Crowther, appeared in the doorway exasperatedly. He looked with appeal at Gerald. The latter took up a large, curved conch shell, that lay on a shelf, and without reference to anybody, blew a sh
pay no attention to her duties. But his sister merely crowded to her seat. Theref
were being handed round. And out of this lull, a girl of thirteen or fourt
ather, when you make
to the company, 'Father is ly
peeping round the immense wedding cake that towered up i
ired,' replied Winifred, the gi
, with her loosely-looped hair. She had Birkin for a neighbour. Sometimes she glanced fiercely down the
that you
' Birkin answe
him before?
rted, a little social smile came on her face, for a moment she looked the pleasant hostess. For a moment she bent graciously, as if everyone were welcome and delightf
me girl a little older than Wini
e mother automatically, for she was
d to the footman
d me,' she said calmly,
amiably. And she glanced challenge
ority, than liberty. Gerald had some command, by mere force of personality, not because of any granted positio
iscussion with the brid
triotism is a mistake. It is like one house of
SION for discussion. 'You couldn't call a race a business concern, could you?
and Hermione were always strangel
th nationality?' she asked musing
g for him to participate.
the essential element in national
this statement to cool. Then she sai
instinct? Is it not rather an appeal to the proprietory instinct, t
elt that such a discussion was
now on the sc
ke a family. You MUST make provision. And to make provision you have got to
replied: 'Yes, I think it is always wrong to provoke a spiri
on altogether?' said Gerald. 'It is one of the ne
ntering response. 'I think
was biting a piece of bread, pulling it from between her teeth with he
es,' she said, int
it,' he
mured, assured
e away his neighbour's living, so why should you allow
rmione before she broke into speech,
of possessions, is it? It is
y this implication o
om off his head, that hat becomes a symbol of that man's liberty.
was non
ginary instances is not supposed to be genuine, is it? A ma
e law prevents h
Ninety-nine men out of a h
er of opinion,
' laughed th
a greater loss to me, my hat, or my liberty as a free and indifferent man. If I am compelled to offer figh
ne, watching Birki
and snatch your hat off your he
woman turned slowly and as i
hat seemed to contain a chuckle. 'No, I sho
u prevent it?
Hermione slowly. 'Prob
her tone, a dangerous and con
s point. It is a question to him whether his
body,' s
ied Gerald. 'But how are you go
erve me,' la
e you have to?'
onal crown-piece is an old hat, t
or racial hat be an ol
nd to be, I beli
o sure,' s
e, Rupert,' s
ht,' sai
old national hat,
cried Diana, his pert siste
Crich. 'Dry up now, Gerald. We're going to drink toasts. Let us dri
bles broke at the rim, the man withdrew, and feeling a sudden thirst at the sight of the fresh wine,
e.' He looked round at the hired footman. And the hired footman came, with a silent step of cold servant-like disapprobation. Birkin decided that he de
le field or park. The view was pleasant; a highroad curving round the edge of a low lake, under the trees. In the spring air, the water gleamed and the opposite wood
ce. A cow was breathing
rshall, one of the brothers-in-law. '
said
in a queer high falsetto voice, that caused the othe
called to the bridegroom, to hi
took his cigar
id not want to say anything about the flight to the church door. 'We got th
his?' ask
the race of the brid
in disapproval. 'Wha
ality of the soul,' said Birkin, 'a
of the soul on your wedding day! Hadn't y
he bridegroom, a clean-shaven n
d of married. THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL!' repeat
fell qu
d, at once pricking up his ears at theday, my boy,' said Marsha
k to somebody else,' cried Ge
shall, in a temper. 'Too much b
ngry eyes, that grew gradually calm and amiable as the st
suddenly to the bridegroom. 'Laura won't have br
lf with that,'
of them,' laughe
ace then-who began
cab came up. She saw Lupton bolting towards her. And she fled. But wh
oing a thing, do it properly, and if you're
aphorism,'
agree?' a
ly it bores me rather, wh
ant all the aphorisms yo
the way, and you're al
rism. Then he made a little gestu
andard of behaviour at all, do you?
cessary for the common ruck. Anybody who is an
g himself?' said Gerald. 'Is
he church door. It was almost a masterpiece in good form. It's the hardest thing in the world to act spont
o take you seriously,
e of the very few peopl
r expectations here, at any rate. You t
purely individual thing in themselves, which makes them act
ple who acted individually and spontaneously, as you call it. We sho
ke to be cutting everybo
follow?' asked
ng. This is a complete truth. It takes two people to make a murder: a murderer and a murderee. And a murderee is a m
s a matter of fact, none of us wants our throat cut, and most
aid Birkin, 'and no wonder you are afrai
f?' said Gerald; 'and I d
our gizzard slit, and imagine every man has
ake that out?
u,' said
concern, as if their going apart were a trivial occurrence. And they really kept it to the level of trivial occurrence. Yet the heart of each burned from the other. They burned with each other, inwardly. This they would never admit. They intended to keep their relationship a casual fr