Page 261 - women-in-love

ing quickly enough for him. It made Gudrun almost helpless
at the rowing, this nervous stress. She kept up with all her
might. Still the voices were calling and answering.
‘Where, where? There you are—that’s it. Which? No—
No-o-o. Damn it all, here, HERE—‘ Boats were hurrying
from all directions to the scene, coloured lanterns could
be seen waving close to the surface of the lake, reflections
swaying after them in uneven haste. The steamer hooted
again, for some unknown reason. Gudrun’s boat was travel-
ling quickly, the lanterns were swinging behind Gerald.
And then again came the child’s high, screaming voice,
with a note of weeping and impatience in it now:
‘Di—Oh Di—Oh Di—Di—!’
It was a terrible sound, coming through the obscure air
of the evening.
‘You’d be better if you were in bed, Winnie,’ Gerald mut-
tered to himself.
He was stooping unlacing his shoes, pushing them off
with the foot. Then he threw his soft hat into the bottom of
the boat.
‘You can’t go into the water with your hurt hand,’ said
Gudrun, panting, in a low voice of horror.
‘What? It won’t hurt.’
He had struggled out of his jacket, and had dropped
it between his feet. He sat bare-headed, all in white now.
He felt the belt at his waist. They were nearing the launch,
which stood still big above them, her myriad lamps making
lovely darts, and sinuous running tongues of ugly red and
green and yellow light on the lustrous dark water, under the

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