Page 501 - sons-and-lovers
P. 501
‘I don’t know why she and I shouldn’t be friends as long
as we live,’ he said. ‘But it’ll only be friends.’
Clara drew away from him, leaning away from contact
with him.
‘What are you drawing away for?’ he asked.
She did not answer, but drew farther from him.
‘Why do you want to walk alone?’ he asked.
Still there was no answer. She walked resentfully, hang-
ing her head.
‘Because I said I would be friends with Miriam!’ he ex-
claimed.
She would not answer him anything.
‘I tell you it’s only words that go between us,’ he persist-
ed, trying to take her again.
She resisted. Suddenly he strode across in front of her,
barring her way.
‘Damn it!’ he said. ‘What do you want now?’
‘You’d better run after Miriam,’ mocked Clara.
The blood flamed up in him. He stood showing his teeth.
She drooped sulkily. The lane was dark, quite lonely. He
suddenly caught her in his arms, stretched forward, and put
his mouth on her face in a kiss of rage. She turned franti-
cally to avoid him. He held her fast. Hard and relentless his
mouth came for her. Her breasts hurt against the wall of his
chest. Helpless, she went loose in his arms, and he kissed
her, and kissed her.
He heard people coming down the hill.
‘Stand up! stand up!’ he said thickly, gripping her arm till
it hurt. If he had let go, she would have sunk to the ground.
00 Sons and Lovers