Page 460 - women-in-love

frightened, gentle wonder of bliss. Was it all real? But his
eyes were beautiful and soft and immune from stress or ex-
citement, beautiful and smiling lightly to her, smiling with
her. She hid her face on his shoulder, hiding before him,
because he could see her so completely. She knew he loved
her, and she was afraid, she was in a strange element, a new
heaven round about her. She wished he were passionate, be-
cause in passion she was at home. But this was so still and
frail, as space is more frightening than force.
Again, quickly, she lifted her head.
‘Do you love me?’ she said, quickly, impulsively.
‘Yes,’ he replied, not heeding her motion, only her still-
ness.
She knew it was true. She broke away.
‘So you ought,’ she said, turning round to look at the
road. ‘Did you find the rings?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where are they?’
‘In my pocket.’
She put her hand into his pocket and took them out.
She was restless.
‘Shall we go?’ she said.
‘Yes,’ he answered. And they mounted to the car once
more, and left behind them this memorable battle-field.
They drifted through the wild, late afternoon, in a beau-
tiful motion that was smiling and transcendent. His mind
was sweetly at ease, the life flowed through him as from
some new fountain, he was as if born out of the cramp of
a womb.

460 Women in Love