Women in Love

The boat rustled lightly along the water. They passed the bathers whose

striped tents stood between the willows of the meadow's edge, and drew

along the open shore, past the meadows that sloped golden in the light

of the already late afternoon. Other boats were stealing under the

wooded shore opposite, they could hear people's laughter and voices.

But Gudrun rowed on towards the clump of trees that balanced perfect in

the distance, in the golden light.

The sisters found a little place where a tiny stream flowed into the

lake, with reeds and flowery marsh of pink willow herb, and a gravelly

bank to the side. Here they ran delicately ashore, with their frail

boat, the two girls took off their shoes and stockings and went through

the water's edge to the grass. The tiny ripples of the lake were warm

and clear, they lifted their boat on to the bank, and looked round with

joy. They were quite alone in a forsaken little stream-mouth, and on

the knoll just behind was the clump of trees.

'We will bathe just for a moment,' said Ursula, 'and then we'll have

tea.' They looked round. Nobody could notice them, or could come up in time

to see them. In less than a minute Ursula had thrown off her clothes

and had slipped naked into the water, and was swimming out. Quickly,

Gudrun joined her. They swam silently and blissfully for a few minutes,

circling round their little stream-mouth. Then they slipped ashore and

ran into the grove again, like nymphs.

'How lovely it is to be free,' said Ursula, running swiftly here and

there between the tree trunks, quite naked, her hair blowing loose. The

grove was of beech-trees, big and splendid, a steel-grey scaffolding of

trunks and boughs, with level sprays of strong green here and there,

whilst through the northern side the distance glimmered open as through

a window.

When they had run and danced themselves dry, the girls quickly dressed

and sat down to the fragrant tea. They sat on the northern side of the

grove, in the yellow sunshine facing the slope of the grassy hill,

alone in a little wild world of their own. The tea was hot and

aromatic, there were delicious little sandwiches of cucumber and of

caviare, and winy cakes.

'Are you happy, Prune?' cried Ursula in delight, looking at her sister.

'Ursula, I'm perfectly happy,' replied Gudrun gravely, looking at the

westering sun.

'So am I.' When they were together, doing the things they enjoyed, the two sisters

were quite complete in a perfect world of their own. And this was one

of the perfect moments of freedom and delight, such as children alone

know, when all seems a perfect and blissful adventure.