`Oh，Idon’tknow……snailsandthings，’hesaid。
`Evensnailsonlyeatthem，andbeesdon’travish。’
Shewasangrywithhim，turningeverythingintowords。VioletswereJuno’seyelids，andwindflowerswereonravishedbrides。Howshehatedwords，alwayscomingbetweenherandlife：theydidtheravishing，ifanythingdid：ready-madewordsandphrases，suckingallthelife-sapoutoflivingthings。
ThewalkwithCliffordwasnotquiteasuccess。BetweenhimandConnietherewasatensionthateachpretendednottonotice，butthereitwas。
Suddenly，withalltheforceofherfemaleinstinct，shewasshovinghimoff。Shewantedtobeclearofhim，andespeciallyofhisconsciousness，hiswords，hisobsessionwithhimself，hisendlesstreadmillobsessionwithhimself，andhisownwords。
Theweathercamerainyagain。Butafteradayortwoshewentoutintherain，andshewenttothewood。Andoncethere，shewenttowardsthehut。Itwasraining，butnotsocold，andthewoodfeltsosilentandremote，inaccessibleintheduskofrain。
Shecametotheclearing。Noonethere!Thehutwaslocked。Butshesatonthelogdoorstep，undertherusticporch，andsnuggledintoherownwarmth。Soshesat，lookingattherain，listeningtothemanynoiselessnoisesofit，andtothestrangesoughingsofwindinupperbranches，whenthereseemedtobenowind。Oldoak-treesstoodaround，grey，powerfultrunks，rain-blackened，roundandvital，throwingoffrecklesslimbs。Thegroundwasfairlyfreeofundergrowth，theanemonessprinkled，therewasabushortwo，elder，orguelder-rose，andapurplishtangleofbramble：
theoldrussetofbrackenalmostvanishedundergreenanemoneruffs。Perhapsthiswasoneoftheunravishedplaces。Unravished!Thewholeworldwasravished。
Somethingscan’tberavished。Youcan’travishatinofsardines。Andsomanywomenarelikethat；andmen。Buttheearth……!
Therainwasabating。Itwashardlymakingdarknessamongtheoaksanymore。Conniewantedtogo；yetshesaton。Butshewasgettingcold；yettheoverwhelminginertiaofherinnerresentmentkeptherthereasifparalysed。
Ravished!Howravishedonecouldbewithouteverbeingtouched。Ravishedbydeadwordsbecomeobscene，anddeadideasbecomeobsessions。
Awetbrowndogcamerunninganddidnotbark，liftingawetfeatherofatail。Themanfollowedinawetblackoilskinjacket，likeachauffeur，andfaceflushedalittle。Shefelthimrecoilinhisquickwalk，whenhesawher。Shestoodupinthehandbreadthofdrynessundertherusticporch。Hesalutedwithoutspeaking，comingslowlynear。Shebegantowithdraw。
`I’mjustgoing，’shesaid。
`Wasyerwaitin’togetin？’heasked，lookingatthehut，notather。
`No，Ionlysatafewminutesintheshelter，’shesaid，withquietdignity。
Helookedather。Shelookedcold。
`SirClifford’adn’tgotnootherkeythen？’heasked。
`No，butitdoesn’tmatter。Icansitperfectlydryunderthisporch。
Goodafternoon!’Shehatedtheexcessofvernacularinhisspeech。
Hewatchedherclosely，asshewasmovingaway。Thenhehitcheduphisjacket，andputhishandinhisbreechespocket，takingoutthekeyofthehut。
`’Appenyer’dbetter’avethiskey，an’Ahminfendfort’bodssomeotherroad。’
Shelookedathim。
`Whatdoyoumean？’sheasked。
`Imeanas’appenAhcanfindanutherpleeceas’llduforrearin’th’
pheasants。Ifyerwantterbe’ere，yo’llnonwantmemessin’abahta’
th’time。’
Shelookedathim，gettinghismeaningthroughthefogofthedialect。
`Whydon’tyouspeakordinaryEnglish？’shesaidcoldly。
`Me!Ahthowtitworordinary。’
Shewassilentforafewmomentsinanger。
`Soifyerwantt’key，yer’dbettertacit。Or’appenAh’dbettergi’e’tyertermorrer，an’clearallt’stuffahtfust。Wouldthatduforyer？’
Shebecamemoreangry。
`Ididn’twantyourkey，’shesaid。`Idon’twantyoutoclearanythingoutatall。Idon’tintheleastwanttoturnyououtofyourhut，thankyou!Ionlywantedtobeabletositheresometimes，liketoday。ButI
cansitperfectlywellundertheporch，sopleasesaynomoreaboutit。’
Helookedatheragain，withhiswickedblueeyes。
`Why，’hebegan，inthebroadslowdialect。`YourLadyship’saswelcomeasChristmasterth’hutan’th’keyan’iverythinkasis。On’ythistimeO’th’yearther’sbodsterset，an’Ah’vegotterbepotterin’abahtagoodbit，seein’after’em，an’a’。WintertimeAhned’ardlycomenighth’pleece。Butwhatwi’spring，an’SirCliffordwantin’terstartth’
pheasants……An’yourLadyship’dnonwantmetinkerin’aroundan’aboutwhenshewas’ere，allthetime。’
Shelistenedwithadimkindofamazement。
`WhyshouldImindyourbeinghere？’sheasked。
Helookedathercuriously。
`T’nuisanceonme!’hesaidbriefly，butsignificantly。Sheflushed。
`Verywell!’shesaidfinally。`Iwon’ttroubleyou。ButIdon’tthinkIshouldhavemindedatallsittingandseeingyoulookafterthebirds。
Ishouldhavelikedit。Butsinceyouthinkitinterfereswithyou，Iwon’tdisturbyou，don’tbeafraid。YouareSirClifford’skeeper，notmine。’
Thephrasesoundedqueer，shedidn’tknowwhy。Butsheletitpass。
`Nay，yourLadyship。It’syourLadyship’sown’ut。It’sasyourLadyshiplikesan’pleases，everytime。Yercanturnmeoffatawik’snotice。Itworonly……’
`Onlywhat？’sheasked，baffled。
Hepushedbackhishatinanoddcomicway。
`On’yas’appenyo’dliketheplaceteryersen，whenyerdidcome，an’
notmemessin’abaht。’
`Butwhy？’shesaid，angry。`Aren’tyouacivilizedhumanbeing？DoyouthinkIoughttobeafraidofyou？WhyshouldItakeanynoticeofyouandyourbeinghereornot？Whyisitimportant？’
Helookedather，allhisfaceglimmeringwithwickedlaughter。
`It’snot，yourLadyship。Notintheveryleast，’hesaid。
`Well，whythen？’sheasked。
`ShallIgetyourLadyshipanotherkeythen？’
`Nothankyou!Idon’twantit。’
`Ah’llgetitanyhow。We’dbest’avetwokeysterth’place。’
`AndIconsideryouareinsolent，’saidConnie，withhercolourup，pantingalittle。
`Nay，nay!’hesaidquickly。`Dunnayersaythat!Nay，nay!Inivermeantnuthink。Ahon’ythoughtasifyo’come’ere，Ahs’daveterclearout，an’it’dmeanalotofwork，settin’upsomewhereselse。ButifyourLadyshipisn’tgoingtertakenonoticeO’me，then……it’sSirClifford’s’ut，an’everythinkisasyourLadyshiplikes，everythinkisasyourLadyshiplikesan’pleases，barrin’yertakenonoticeO’me，doin’th’bitsofjobsasAh’vegotterdo。’
Conniewentawaycompletelybewildered。Shewasnotsurewhethershehadbeeninsultedandmortallyoffended，ornot。Perhapsthemanreallyonlymeantwhathesaid；thathethoughtshewouldexpecthimtokeepaway。
Asifshewoulddreamofit!Andasifhecouldpossiblybesoimportant，heandhisstupidpresence。
Shewenthomeinconfusion，notknowingwhatshethoughtorfelt。
Chapters9
ConniewassurprisedatherownfeelingofaversionfromClifford。
Whatismore，shefeltshehadalwaysreallydislikedhim。Nothate：therewasnopassioninit。Butaprofoundphysicaldislike。Almost，itseemedtoher，shehadmarriedhimbecauseshedislikedhim，inasecret，physicalsortofway。Butofcourse，shehadmarriedhimreallybecauseinamentalwayheattractedherandexcitedher。Hehadseemed，insomeway，hermaster，beyondher。
Nowthementalexcitementhadwornitselfoutandcollapsed，andshewasawareonlyofthephysicalaversion。Itroseupinherfromherdepths：
andsherealizedhowithadbeeneatingherlifeaway。
Shefeltweakandutterlyforlorn。Shewishedsomehelpwouldcomefromoutside。Butinthewholeworldtherewasnohelp。Societywasterriblebecauseitwasinsane。Civilizedsocietyisinsane。Moneyandso-calledloveareitstwogreatmanias；moneyalongwayfirst。Theindividualassertshimselfinhisdisconnectedinsanityinthesetwomodes：moneyandlove。
LookatMichaelis!Hislifeandactivitywerejustinsanity。Hislovewasasortofinsanity。
AndCliffordthesame。Allthattalk!Allthatwriting!Allthatwildstrugglingtopushhimselfforwards!Itwasjustinsanity。Anditwasgettingworse，reallymaniacal。
Conniefeltwashed-outwithfear。Butatleast，CliffordwasshiftinghisgripfromherontoMrsBolton。Hedidnotknowit。Likemanyinsanepeople，hisinsanitymightbemeasuredbythethingshewasnotawareofthegreatdeserttractsinhisconsciousness。
MrsBoltonwasadmirableinmanyways。Butshehadthatqueersortofbossiness，endlessassertionofherownwill，whichisoneofthesignsofinsanityinmodernwoman。Shethoughtshewasutterlysubservientandlivingforothers。Cliffordfascinatedherbecausehealways，orsooften，frustratedherwill，asifbyafinerinstinct。Hehadafiner，subtlerwillofself-assertionthanherself。Thiswashischarmforher。
Perhapsthathadbeenhischarm，too，forConnie。
`It’salovelyday，today!’MrsBoltonwouldsayinhercaressive，persuasivevoice。`Ishouldthinkyou’denjoyalittleruninyourchairtoday，thesun’sjustlovely。’
`Yes？Willyougivemethatbook——there，thatyellowone。AndIthinkI’llhavethosehyacinthstakenout。’
`Whythey’resobeautiful!’Shepronounceditwiththe`y’sound：be-yutiful!
`Andthescentissimplygorgeous。’
`ThescentiswhatIobjectto，’hesaid。`It’salittlefunereal。’
`Doyouthinkso!’sheexclaimedinsurprise，justalittleoffended，butimpressed。Andshecarriedthehyacinthsoutoftheroom，impressedbyhishigherfastidiousness。
`ShallIshaveyouthismorning，orwouldyouratherdoityourself？’
Alwaysthesamesoft，caressive，subservient，yetmanagingvoice。
`Idon’tknow。Doyoumindwaitingawhile。I’llringwhenI’mready。’
`Verygood，SirClifford!’shereplied，sosoftandsubmissive，withdrawingquietly。Buteveryrebuffstoredupnewenergyofwillinher。
Whenherang，afteratime，shewouldappearatonce。Andthenhewouldsay：
`IthinkI’dratheryoushavedmethismorning。’
Herheartgavealittlethrill，andsherepliedwithextrasoftness：
`Verygood，SirClifford!’
Shewasverydeft，withasoft，lingeringtouch，alittleslow。Atfirsthehadresentedtheinfinitelysofttouchofherlingersonhisface。Butnowhelikedit，withagrowingvoluptuousness。Helethershavehimnearlyeveryday：herfacenearhis，hereyessoveryconcentrated，watchingthatshediditright。Andgraduallyherfingertipsknewhischeeksandlips，hisjawandchinandthroatperfectly。Hewaswell-fedandwell-liking，hisfaceandthroatwerehandsomeenoughandhewasagentleman。
Shewashandsometoo，pale，herfaceratherlongandabsolutelystill，hereyesbright，butrevealingnothing。Gradually，withinfinitesoftness，almostwithlove，shewasgettinghimbythethroat，andhewasyieldingtoher。
Shenowdidalmosteverythingforhim，andhefeltmoreathomewithher，lessashamedofacceptinghermenialoffices，thanwithConnie。Shelikedhandlinghim。Shelovedhavinghisbodyinhercharge，absolutely，tothelastmenialoffices。ShesaidtoConnieoneday：`Allmenarebabies，whenyoucometothebottomofthem。Why，I’vehandledsomeofthetoughestcustomersaseverwentdownTevershallpit。Butletanythingailthemsothatyouhavetodoforthem，andthey’rebabies，justbigbabies。Oh，there’snotmuchdifferenceinmen!’
AtfirstMrsBoltonhadthoughttherereallywassomethingdifferentinagentleman，arealgentleman，likeSirClifford。SoCliffordhadgotagoodstartofher。Butgradually，asshecametothebottomofhim，touseherownterm，shefoundhewasliketherest，ababygrowntoman’sproportions：butababywithaqueertemperandafinemannerandpowerinitscontrol，andallsortsofoddknowledgethatshehadneverdreamedof，withwhichhecouldstillbullyher。
Conniewassometimestemptedtosaytohim：
`ForGod’ssake，don’tsinksohorriblyintothehandsofthatwoman!’
Butshefoundshedidn’tcareforhimenoughtosayit，inthelongrun。
Itwasstilltheirhabittospendtheeveningtogether，tillteno’clock。
Thentheywouldtalk，orreadtogether，orgooverhismanuscript。Butthethrillhadgoneoutofit。Shewasboredbyhismanuscripts。Butshestilldutifullytypedthemoutforhim。ButintimeMrsBoltonwoulddoeventhat。
ForConniehadsuggestedtoMrsBoltonthatsheshouldlearntouseatypewriter。AndMrsBolton，alwaysready，hadbegunatonce，andpractisedassiduously。SonowCliffordwouldsometimesdictatealettertoher，andshewouldtakeitdownratherslowly，butcorrectly。Andhewasverypatient，spellingforherthedifficultwords，ortheoccasionalphrasesinFrench。
Shewassothrilled，itwasalmostapleasuretoinstructher。
NowConniewouldsometimespleadaheadacheasanexcuseforgoinguptoherroomafterdinner。
`PerhapsMrsBoltonwillplaypiquetwithyou，’shesaidtoClifford。
`Oh，Ishallbeperfectlyallright。Yougotoyourownroomandrest，darling。’
Butnosoonerhadshegone，thanherangforMrsBolton，andaskedhertotakeahandatpiquetorbezique，orevenchess。Hehadtaughtherallthesegames。AndConniefounditcuriouslyobjectionabletoseeMrsBolton，flushedandtremulouslikealittlegirl，touchingherqueenorherknightwithuncertainfingers，thendrawingawayagain。AndClifford，faintlysmilingwithahalf-teasingsuperiority，sayingtoher：
`Youmustsayj’adoube!’
Shelookedupathimwithbright，startledeyes，thenmurmuredshyly，obediently：
`J’adoube!’
Yes，hewaseducatingher。Andheenjoyedit，itgavehimasenseofpower。Andshewasthrilled。Shewascomingbitbybitintopossessionofallthatthegentryknew，allthatmadethemupperclass：apartfromthemoney。Thatthrilledher。Andatthesametime，shewasmakinghimwanttohavehertherewithhim。Itwasasubtledeepflatterytohim，hergenuinethrill。