Page 73 - lady-chatterlys-lover

display!
Michaelis had seized upon Clifford as the central figure
for a play; already he had sketched in the plot, and writ-
ten the first act. For Michaelis was even better than Clifford
at making a display of nothingness. It was the last bit of
passion left in these men: the passion for making a dis-
play. Sexually they were passionless, even dead. And now it
was not money that Michaelis was after. Clifford had never
been primarily out for money, though he made it where he
could, for money is the seal and stamp of success. And suc-
cess was what they wanted. They wanted, both of them, to
make a real display...a man’s own very display of himself
that should capture for a time the vast populace.
It was strange...the prostitution to the bitch-goddess. To
Connie, since she was really outside of it, and since she had
grown numb to the thrill of it, it was again nothingness.
Even the prostitution to the bitch-goddess was nothingness,
though the men prostituted themselves innumerable times.
Nothingness even that.
Michaelis wrote to Clifford about the play. Of course she
knew about it long ago. And Clifford was again thrilled. He
was going to be displayed again this time, somebody was
going to display him, and to advantage. He invited Michae-
lis down to Wragby with Act I.
Michaelis came: in summer, in a pale-coloured suit and
white suede gloves, with mauve orchids for Connie, very
lovely, and Act I was a great success. Even Connie was
thrilled...thrilled to what bit of marrow she had left. And
Michaelis, thrilled by his power to thrill, was really won-

Lady Chatterly’s Lover