Women in Love

'Yes. And that kills everything, doesn't it? It doesn't allow any

possibility of flowering.' 'Of course not,' said Ursula. 'It is purely destructive.' 'It is, isn't it!' Hermione looked long and slow at Ursula, seeming to accept confirmation

from her. Then the two women were silent. As soon as they were in

accord, they began mutually to mistrust each other. In spite of

herself, Ursula felt herself recoiling from Hermione. It was all she

could do to restrain her revulsion.

They returned to the men, like two conspirators who have withdrawn to

come to an agreement. Birkin looked up at them. Ursula hated him for

his cold watchfulness. But he said nothing.

'Shall we be going?' said Hermione. 'Rupert, you are coming to

Shortlands to dinner? Will you come at once, will you come now, with

us?' 'I'm not dressed,' replied Birkin. 'And you know Gerald stickles for

convention.' 'I don't stickle for it,' said Gerald. 'But if you'd got as sick as I

have of rowdy go-as-you-please in the house, you'd prefer it if people

were peaceful and conventional, at least at meals.' 'All right,' said Birkin.

'But can't we wait for you while you dress?' persisted Hermione.

'If you like.' He rose to go indoors. Ursula said she would take her leave.

'Only,' she said, turning to Gerald, 'I must say that, however man is

lord of the beast and the fowl, I still don't think he has any right to

violate the feelings of the inferior creation. I still think it would

have been much more sensible and nice of you if you'd trotted back up

the road while the train went by, and been considerate.' 'I see,' said Gerald, smiling, but somewhat annoyed. 'I must remember

another time.' 'They all think I'm an interfering female,' thought Ursula to herself,

as she went away. But she was in arms against them.

She ran home plunged in thought. She had been very much moved by

Hermione, she had really come into contact with her, so that there was

a sort of league between the two women. And yet she could not bear her.

But she put the thought away. 'She's really good,' she said to herself.

'She really wants what is right.' And she tried to feel at one with

Hermione, and to shut off from Birkin. She was strictly hostile to him.

But she was held to him by some bond, some deep principle. This at once

irritated her and saved her.

Only now and again, violent little shudders would come over her, out of

her subconsciousness, and she knew it was the fact that she had stated

her challenge to Birkin, and he had, consciously or unconsciously,

accepted. It was a fight to the death between them--or to new life:

though in what the conflict lay, no one could say.