Page 408 - lady-chatterlys-lover
P. 408

But naturally it made him want to see the last of me.’
         ’I’m going to have a child.’
         The  expression  died  utterly  out  of  his  face,  out  of  his
       whole body. He looked at her with darkened eyes, whose
       look she could not understand at all: like some dark-flamed
       spirit looking at her.
         ’Say you’re glad!’ she pleaded, groping for his hand. And
       she saw a certain exultance spring up in him. But it was net-
       ted down by things she could not understand.
         ’It’s the future,’ he said.
         ’But aren’t you glad?’ she persisted.
         ’I have such a terrible mistrust of the future.’
         ’But you needn’t be troubled by any responsibility. Clif-
       ford would have it as his own, he’d be glad.’
          She saw him go pale, and recoil under this. He did not
       answer.
         ’Shall I go back to Clifford and put a little baronet into
       Wragby?’ she asked.
          He looked at her, pale and very remote. The ugly little
       grin flickered on his face.
         ’You wouldn’t have to tell him who the father was?’
         ’Oh!’ she said; ‘he’d take it even then, if I wanted him to.’
          He thought for a time.
         ’Ay!’ he said at last, to himself. ‘I suppose he would.’
         There was silence. A big gulf was between them.
         ’But you don’t want me to go back to Clifford, do you?’
       she asked him.
         ’What do you want yourself?’ he replied.
         ’I want to live with you,’ she said simply.

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