Page 265 - women-in-love

fred. He did not answer. Slowly the launch drifted round in
a pathetic, clumsy circle, and slunk away to the land, retreat-
ing into the dimness. The wash of her paddles grew duller.
Gudrun rocked in her light boat, and dipped the paddle au-
tomatically to steady herself.
‘Gudrun?’ called Ursula’s voice.
‘Ursula!’
The boats of the two sisters pulled together.
‘Where is Gerald?’ said Gudrun.
‘He’s dived again,’ said Ursula plaintively. ‘And I know he
ought not, with his hurt hand and everything.’
‘I’ll take him in home this time,’ said Birkin.
The boats swayed again from the wash of steamer.
Gudrun and Ursula kept a look-out for Gerald.
‘There he is!’ cried Ursula, who had the sharpest eyes.
He had not been long under. Birkin pulled towards him,
Gudrun following. He swam slowly, and caught hold of the
boat with his wounded hand. It slipped, and he sank back.
‘Why don’t you help him?’ cried Ursula sharply.
He came again, and Birkin leaned to help him in to the
boat. Gudrun again watched Gerald climb out of the wa-
ter, but this time slowly, heavily, with the blind clambering
motions of an amphibious beast, clumsy. Again the moon
shone with faint luminosity on his white wet figure, on the
stooping back and the rounded loins. But it looked defeated
now, his body, it clambered and fell with slow clumsiness.
He was breathing hoarsely too, like an animal that is suffer-
ing. He sat slack and motionless in the boat, his head blunt
and blind like a seal’s, his whole appearance inhuman, un-

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