Page 655 - women-in-love

by electricity.’ He walked on in silence. It seemed like brag-
ging, but like a man in extremity bragging truthfully.
‘Of course,’ he resumed, ‘I wouldn’t NOT have had it!
It’s a complete experience. And she’s a wonderful woman.
But—how I hate her somewhere! It’s curious—‘
Birkin looked at him, at his strange, scarcely conscious
face. Gerald seemed blank before his own words.
‘But you’ve had enough now?’ said Birkin. ‘You have had
your experience. Why work on an old wound?’
‘Oh,’ said Gerald, ‘I don’t know. It’s not finished—‘
And the two walked on.
‘I’ve loved you, as well as Gudrun, don’t forget,’ said Bir-
kin bitterly. Gerald looked at him strangely, abstractedly.
‘Have you?’ he said, with icy scepticism. ‘Or do you think
you have?’ He was hardly responsible for what he said.
The sledge came. Gudrun dismounted and they all made
their farewell. They wanted to go apart, all of them. Birkin
took his place, and the sledge drove away leaving Gudrun
and Gerald standing on the snow, waving. Something froze
Birkin’s heart, seeing them standing there in the isolation of
the snow, growing smaller and more isolated.

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