Page 277 - lady-chatterlys-lover

‘See if they are all right!’
The man lay flat on his stomach on the floor, his neck
pressed back, wriggling under the engine and poking with
his finger. Connie thought what a pathetic sort of thing a
man was, feeble and small-looking, when he was lying on
his belly on the big earth.
’Seems all right as far as I can see,’ came his muffled
voice.
’I don’t suppose you can do anything,’ said Clifford.
’Seems as if I can’t!’ And he scrambled up and sat on his
heels, collier fashion. ‘There’s certainly nothing obviously
broken.’
Clifford started his engine, then put her in gear. She
would not move.
’Run her a bit hard, like,’ suggested the keeper.
Clifford resented the interference: but he made his en-
gine buzz like a blue-bottle. Then she coughed and snarled
and seemed to go better.
’Sounds as if she’d come clear,’ said Mellors.
But Clifford had already jerked her into gear. She gave a
sick lurch and ebbed weakly forwards.
’If I give her a push, she’ll do it,’ said the keeper, going
behind.
’Keep off!’ snapped Clifford. ‘She’ll do it by herself.’
’But Clifford!’ put in Connie from the bank, ‘you know
it’s too much for her. Why are you so obstinate!’
Clifford was pale with anger. He jabbed at his levers. The
chair gave a sort of scurry, reeled on a few more yards, and
came to her end amid a particularly promising patch of

Lady Chatterly’s Lover