Women in Love

All were lighting up. Here and there, close against the faint water,

and at the far end of the lake, where the water lay milky in the last

whiteness of the sky, and there was no shadow, solitary, frail flames

of lanterns floated from the unseen boats. There was a sound of oars,

and a boat passed from the pallor into the darkness under the wood,

where her lanterns seemed to kindle into fire, hanging in ruddy lovely

globes. And again, in the lake, shadowy red gleams hovered in

reflection about the boat. Everywhere were these noiseless ruddy

creatures of fire drifting near the surface of the water, caught at by

the rarest, scarce visible reflections.

Birkin brought the lanterns from the bigger boat, and the four shadowy

white figures gathered round, to light them. Ursula held up the first,

Birkin lowered the light from the rosy, glowing cup of his hands, into

the depths of the lantern. It was kindled, and they all stood back to

look at the great blue moon of light that hung from Ursula's hand,

casting a strange gleam on her face. It flickered, and Birkin went

bending over the well of light. His face shone out like an apparition,

so unconscious, and again, something demoniacal. Ursula was dim and

veiled, looming over him.

'That is all right,' said his voice softly.

She held up the lantern. It had a flight of storks streaming through a

turquoise sky of light, over a dark earth.

'This is beautiful,' she said.

'Lovely,' echoed Gudrun, who wanted to hold one also, and lift it up

full of beauty.

'Light one for me,' she said. Gerald stood by her, incapacitated.

Birkin lit the lantern she held up. Her heart beat with anxiety, to see

how beautiful it would be. It was primrose yellow, with tall straight

flowers growing darkly from their dark leaves, lifting their heads into

the primrose day, while butterflies hovered about them, in the pure

clear light.

Gudrun gave a little cry of excitement, as if pierced with delight.

'Isn't it beautiful, oh, isn't it beautiful!' Her soul was really pierced with beauty, she was translated beyond

herself. Gerald leaned near to her, into her zone of light, as if to

see. He came close to her, and stood touching her, looking with her at

the primrose-shining globe. And she turned her face to his, that was

faintly bright in the light of the lantern, and they stood together in

one luminous union, close together and ringed round with light, all the

rest excluded.

Birkin looked away, and went to light Ursula's second lantern. It had a

pale ruddy sea-bottom, with black crabs and sea-weed moving sinuously

under a transparent sea, that passed into flamy ruddiness above.