Women in Love

Nottingham, because his work lay chiefly in that town. But often he was in London, or in Oxford. He

wspaper, and evidently waiting for the train. Birkin stood some distance

here seemed to be a dual consciousness running in him. He was thinking vigorously of something he read in the newspaper, and at the same time his eye ran over the surfaces of the life round him, and he mi

enial look flash on to Gerald's face, at seei

rt, where ar

o are you,

es

t over Birkin's f

ogether if you

ally go first?

ld. 'But third'll be all right. There's

he station clock, havin

ading in the pape

oked at h

e scanned the columns down-'and then there's this little-I dunno what you'd call it, essay, almost-appearing with the leaders, and saying there must arise a man

it of newspaper cant,

n meant it, and quite g

Birkin, holding out

ittle table, by the window, in the restaurant car. Birkin glanced

s it,' he said, 'as far

Do you think we really want

ugged his

o stare straight at this life that we've brought upon ourselves, and reject it, absolutely smash up the old idols of ourselves,

tched him

eak up this life, just st

completely, or shrivel inside it, as in a

e in Gerald's eyes, a look of

I suppose you mean, reform the w

n between the brows. He too was

ing better, we shall smash the old. Until then, any sort of proposal, or ma

of Gerald's eyes, and he said, l

think things

letel

e appear

what

e cover the earth with foulness; life is a blotch of labour, like insects scurrying in filth, so that your collier can have a pianoforte in his parlour, and you can h

time to re-adjust him

e without houses-retur

nt to do-and what they are capable of doing. If they were

He was not going to t

all it, is a symbol for something very real, a real

taller on the strength of the pianoforte, and he is satisfied. He lives for the sake of that Brocken spectre, the reflection of himself in the human opinion. You do the same. If you are of high importance to humanity you

I am,' laug

ng myself. "I eat, thou eatest, he eats, we eat, you eat, they eat"-and what then? W

erial things,' said Gerald. W

we're not just cattle that can graze

Birkin. 'What

face went

work, to produce something, in so far as I am a purpos

d all the plush furniture, and pianofortes, and the rabbits are all stewed and eaten, and we're all warm and our bellies are filled and we're

and the mocking humour of the oth

'A good many people are still waiting

must chase the rabbit?' sai

like that,'

red callousness, even strange, glistening malice, in Geral

said, 'I rath

,' said Gerald

nscrutably for

said at last. 'Do you ever consciously detest me-hate me wit

even a little disconcerted. He

s,' he said. 'But I'm not aware of i

e worse,' s

curious eyes. He could

worse, is it?

was a little irritable tension, a sharp knitting of the brows, keen and difficult. Gerald w

d straight and overpowering

e aim and object of your

uld not think what his friend was g

say off-hand,' he replied,

the end-all of life?' Birkin asked,

life?' sa

es

really puz

id Gerald. 'It ha

our life be

myself-and getting experi

s brows like shar

ure single activity-I should call love a single pure

ally loved anybod

no,' repl

lly?' sai

nally-no,'

' said

want to?'

nkling, almost sardonic look i

know,'

t to love,'

u d

t the final

' repeated Gerald. And

llow along the fields, lit up Birkin's face with a tense,

woman,' sa

d as if he were insiste

nothing but a woman, will ev

f it-the love between you

h a queer dangerous smile

feel it that

wherein does life

As far as I can make out, it doesn't centre at all. It

as if he would

nails-nothing there. It seems to me there remains only this perfect uni

isn't the woman, there'

that-seeing t

ld. And he turned to look out of the w

tiful and soldierly his face was, wit

avy odds against

woman, woman only, yes, I do,' said Gerald. 'I don't

hed him alm

orn unbeliev

th his blue, manly, sharp-lighted eyes. Birkin's eyes were at the moment full of anger. But s

much, Gerald,' he sai

ld, uncovering his mouth in a

ot take much notice. He felt that he, himself, Gerald, had harder and more durable truths than any the other man knew. He felt himself older, more knowing. It was the quick-changing warmth and venality and

ng him seriously. And this made him go hard and cold. As the train ran on,

hat is mankind but just one expression of the incomprehensible. And if mankind passes away, it will only mean that this particular expression is completed and done. That which is expressed, and that which is to be expressed, cannot be diminished. There it is, in the shining evening. Let

rrupted him

you staying

n loo

part of the rent of a flat,

ace more or less you

t much. I'm tired of the peo

ind of

here are a few decent people, decent in some respects. They are really very thorough rejecters of the wor

ey?-painters

enly at outs with the conventions, and belongs to nowhere particularly. They are often you

se?' sai

see his cur

another. For all their sho

how good-looking he was. Gerald was attractive, his blood seemed fluid and electric. His blue eyes burned w

ch other-I am in London for t

, or the music hall-you'd better come round to the fla

,' laughed Gerald. 'What

t the Pompadour. It's a bad pl

it?' ask

dilly

shall I come

ns, it migh

n watched the country, and was filled with a sort of ho

the mass of mankind, amou

t coloured end o

and mi

o death. Gerald, who was very subtly alert, wary in

Birkin glanced at him,

t coloured end o

and

ere the somethin

asl

And Birkin, who, for some reason was

ing into London. I feel such a despair, so h

'And does the end of

his shoulders

it hangs imminent and doesn't fall. Bu

sed glad smile

And he watched the o

the carriage was on the alert, waiting to escape. At last they were under the huge arch of t

ent together

irkin, as they sat in a little, swiftly-running

aughed

l death,'