Page 140 - women-in-love

‘Shall we bathe this morning?’ she said, suddenly look-
ing at them all.
‘Splendid,’ said Joshua. ‘It is a perfect morning.’
‘Oh, it is beautiful,’ said Fraulein.
‘Yes, let us bathe,’ said the Italian woman.
‘We have no bathing suits,’ said Gerald.
‘Have mine,’ said Alexander. ‘I must go to church and
read the lessons. They expect me.’
‘Are you a Christian?’ asked the Italian Countess, with
sudden interest.
‘No,’ said Alexander. ‘I’m not. But I believe in keeping up
the old institutions.’
‘They are so beautiful,’ said Fraulein daintily.
‘Oh, they are,’ cried Miss Bradley.
They all trailed out on to the lawn. It was a sunny, soft
morning in early summer, when life ran in the world subtly,
like a reminiscence. The church bells were ringing a little
way off, not a cloud was in the sky, the swans were like lilies
on the water below, the peacocks walked with long, pranc-
ing steps across the shadow and into the sunshine of the
grass. One wanted to swoon into the by-gone perfection of
it all.
‘Good-bye,’ called Alexander, waving his gloves cheer-
ily, and he disappeared behind the bushes, on his way to
church.
‘Now,’ said Hermione, ‘shall we all bathe?’
‘I won’t,’ said Ursula.
‘You don’t want to?’ said Hermione, looking at her slow-
ly.

140 Women in Love