Women in Love

Again they talked cordially and rousedly together. But already a

certain friability was coming over the party, Birkin was mad with

irritation, Halliday was turning in an insane hatred against Gerald,

the Pussum was becoming hard and cold, like a flint knife, and Halliday

was laying himself out to her. And her intention, ultimately, was to

capture Halliday, to have complete power over him.

In the morning they all stalked and lounged about again. But Gerald

could feel a strange hostility to himself, in the air. It roused his

obstinacy, and he stood up against it. He hung on for two more days.

The result was a nasty and insane scene with Halliday on the fourth

evening. Halliday turned with absurd animosity upon Gerald, in the

cafe. There was a row. Gerald was on the point of knocking-in

Halliday's face; when he was filled with sudden disgust and

indifference, and he went away, leaving Halliday in a foolish state of

gloating triumph, the Pussum hard and established, and Maxim standing

clear. Birkin was absent, he had gone out of town again.

Gerald was piqued because he had left without giving the Pussum money.

It was true, she did not care whether he gave her money or not, and he

knew it. But she would have been glad of ten pounds, and he would have

been VERY glad to give them to her. Now he felt in a false position. He

went away chewing his lips to get at the ends of his short clipped

moustache. He knew the Pussum was merely glad to be rid of him. She had

got her Halliday whom she wanted. She wanted him completely in her

power. Then she would marry him. She wanted to marry him. She had set

her will on marrying Halliday. She never wanted to hear of Gerald

again; unless, perhaps, she were in difficulty; because after all,

Gerald was what she called a man, and these others, Halliday,

Libidnikov, Birkin, the whole Bohemian set, they were only half men.

But it was half men she could deal with. She felt sure of herself with

them. The real men, like Gerald, put her in her place too much.

Still, she respected Gerald, she really respected him. She had managed

to get his address, so that she could appeal to him in time of

distress. She knew he wanted to give her money. She would perhaps write

to him on that inevitable rainy day.