Women in Love

'You've got the heavens above, and the waters under the earth,' said

Birkin to her.

'Anything but the earth itself,' she laughed, watching his live hands

that hovered to attend to the light.

'I'm dying to see what my second one is,' cried Gudrun, in a vibrating

rather strident voice, that seemed to repel the others from her.

Birkin went and kindled it. It was of a lovely deep blue colour, with a

red floor, and a great white cuttle-fish flowing in white soft streams

all over it. The cuttle-fish had a face that stared straight from the

heart of the light, very fixed and coldly intent.

'How truly terrifying!' exclaimed Gudrun, in a voice of horror. Gerald,

at her side, gave a low laugh.

'But isn't it really fearful!' she cried in dismay.

Again he laughed, and said: 'Change it with Ursula, for the crabs.' Gudrun was silent for a moment.

'Ursula,' she said, 'could you bear to have this fearful thing?' 'I think the colouring is LOVELY,' said Ursula.

'So do I,' said Gudrun. 'But could you BEAR to have it swinging to your

boat? Don't you want to destroy it at ONCE?' 'Oh no,' said Ursula. 'I don't want to destroy it.' 'Well do you mind having it instead of the crabs? Are you sure you

don't mind?' Gudrun came forward to exchange lanterns.

'No,' said Ursula, yielding up the crabs and receiving the cuttle-fish.

Yet she could not help feeling rather resentful at the way in which

Gudrun and Gerald should assume a right over her, a precedence.

'Come then,' said Birkin. 'I'll put them on the boats.' He and Ursula were moving away to the big boat.

'I suppose you'll row me back, Rupert,' said Gerald, out of the pale

shadow of the evening.

'Won't you go with Gudrun in the canoe?' said Birkin. 'It'll be more

interesting.' There was a moment's pause. Birkin and Ursula stood dimly, with their

swinging lanterns, by the water's edge. The world was all illusive.

'Is that all right?' said Gudrun to him.

'It'll suit ME very well,' he said. 'But what about you, and the

rowing? I don't see why you should pull me.' 'Why not?' she said. 'I can pull you as well as I could pull Ursula.' By her tone he could tell she wanted to have him in the boat to

herself, and that she was subtly gratified that she should have power

over them both. He gave himself, in a strange, electric submission.