Page 498 - women-in-love

‘No, mother,’ came the strange, clarion voice of Ger-
ald from the background, ‘we are different, we don’t blame
you.’
She turned and looked full in his eyes. Then she lifted her
hands in a strange half-gesture of mad despair.
‘Pray!’ she said strongly. ‘Pray for yourselves to God, for
there’s no help for you from your parents.’
‘Oh mother!’ cried her daughters wildly.
But she had turned and gone, and they all went quickly
away from each other.
When Gudrun heard that Mr Crich was dead, she felt re-
buked. She had stayed away lest Gerald should think her too
easy of winning. And now, he was in the midst of trouble,
whilst she was cold.
The following day she went up as usual to Winifred, who
was glad to see her, glad to get away into the studio. The
girl had wept, and then, too frightened, had turned aside to
avoid any more tragic eventuality. She and Gudrun resumed
work as usual, in the isolation of the studio, and this seemed
an immeasurable happiness, a pure world of freedom, after
the aimlessness and misery of the house. Gudrun stayed on
till evening. She and Winifred had dinner brought up to the
studio, where they ate in freedom, away from all the people
in the house.
After dinner Gerald came up. The great high studio was
full of shadow and a fragrance of coffee. Gudrun and Wini-
fred had a little table near the fire at the far end, with a white
lamp whose light did not travel far. They were a tiny world
to themselves, the two girls surrounded by lovely shadows,

498 Women in Love