Page 264 - women-in-love

was all no good, and that she would never go beyond him,
he was the final approximation of life to her.
‘Put the lights out, we shall see better,’ came his voice,
sudden and mechanical and belonging to the world of man.
She could scarcely believe there was a world of man. She
leaned round and blew out her lanterns. They were diffi-
cult to blow out. Everywhere the lights were gone save the
coloured points on the sides of the launch. The blueygrey,
early night spread level around, the moon was overhead,
there were shadows of boats here and there.
Again there was a splash, and he was gone under. Gudrun
sat, sick at heart, frightened of the great, level surface of the
water, so heavy and deadly. She was so alone, with the level,
unliving field of the water stretching beneath her. It was not
a good isolation, it was a terrible, cold separation of sus-
pense. She was suspended upon the surface of the insidious
reality until such time as she also should disappear beneath
it.
Then she knew, by a stirring of voices, that he had
climbed out again, into a boat. She sat wanting connection
with him. Strenuously she claimed her connection with
him, across the invisible space of the water. But round her
heart was an isolation unbearable, through which nothing
would penetrate.
‘Take the launch in. It’s no use keeping her there. Get
lines for the dragging,’ came the decisive, instrumental
voice, that was full of the sound of the world.
The launch began gradually to beat the waters.
‘Gerald! Gerald!’ came the wild crying voice of Wini-

264 Women in Love