Women in Love

The attitude was mental and very wearying. Only the elderly

sociologist, whose mental fibre was so tough as to be insentient,

seemed to be thoroughly happy. Birkin was down in the mouth. Hermione

appeared, with amazing persistence, to wish to ridicule him and make

him look ignominious in the eyes of everybody. And it was surprising

how she seemed to succeed, how helpless he seemed against her. He

looked completely insignificant. Ursula and Gudrun, both very unused,

were mostly silent, listening to the slow, rhapsodic sing-song of

Hermione, or the verbal sallies of Sir Joshua, or the prattle of

Fraulein, or the responses of the other two women.

Luncheon was over, coffee was brought out on the grass, the party left

the table and sat about in lounge chairs, in the shade or in the

sunshine as they wished. Fraulein departed into the house, Hermione

took up her embroidery, the little Contessa took a book, Miss Bradley

was weaving a basket out of fine grass, and there they all were on the

lawn in the early summer afternoon, working leisurely and spattering

with half-intellectual, deliberate talk.

Suddenly there was the sound of the brakes and the shutting off of a

motor-car.

'There's Salsie!' sang Hermione, in her slow, amusing sing-song. And

laying down her work, she rose slowly, and slowly passed over the lawn,

round the bushes, out of sight.

'Who is it?' asked Gudrun.

'Mr Roddice--Miss Roddice's brother--at least, I suppose it's he,' said

Sir Joshua.

'Salsie, yes, it is her brother,' said the little Contessa, lifting her

head for a moment from her book, and speaking as if to give

information, in her slightly deepened, guttural English.

They all waited. And then round the bushes came the tall form of

Alexander Roddice, striding romantically like a Meredith hero who

remembers Disraeli. He was cordial with everybody, he was at once a

host, with an easy, offhand hospitality that he had learned for

Hermione's friends. He had just come down from London, from the House.

At once the atmosphere of the House of Commons made itself felt over

the lawn: the Home Secretary had said such and such a thing, and he,

Roddice, on the other hand, thought such and such a thing, and had said

so-and-so to the PM.

Now Hermione came round the bushes with Gerald Crich. He had come along

with Alexander. Gerald was presented to everybody, was kept by Hermione

for a few moments in full view, then he was led away, still by

Hermione. He was evidently her guest of the moment.

There had been a split in the Cabinet; the minister for Education had

resigned owing to adverse criticism. This started a conversation on

education.