Wragbywasthere,theservants……butspectral,notreallyexisting。Conniewentforwalksinthepark,andinthewoodsthatjoinedthepark,andenjoyedthesolitudeandthemystery,kickingthebrownleavesofautumn,andpickingtheprimrosesofspring。Butitwasalladream;orratheritwaslikethesimulacrumofreality。Theoak-leavesweretoherlikeoak-leavesseenrufflinginamirror,sheherselfwasafiguresomebodyhadreadabout,pickingprimrosesthatwereonlyshadowsormemories,orwords。Nosubstancetoheroranything……notouch,nocontact!OnlythislifewithClifford,thisendlessspinningofwebsofyarn,oftheminutiaeofconsciousness,thesestoriesSirMalcolmsaidtherewasnothingin,andtheywouldn’tlast。Whyshouldtherebeanythinginthem,whyshouldtheylast?Sufficientuntothedayistheevilthereof。Sufficientuntothemomentistheappearanceofreality。
Cliffordhadquiteanumberoffriends,acquaintancesreally,andheinvitedthemtoWragby。Heinvitedallsortsofpeople,criticsandwriters,peoplewhowouldhelptopraisehisbooks。AndtheywereflatteredatbeingaskedtoWragby,andtheypraised。Connieunderstooditallperfectly。
Butwhynot?Thiswasoneofthefleetingpatternsinthemirror。Whatwaswrongwithit?
Shewashostesstothesepeople……mostlymen。ShewashostessalsotoClifford’soccasionalaristocraticrelations。Beingasoft,ruddy,country-lookinggirl,inclinedtofreckles,withbigblueeyes,andcurling,brownhair,andasoftvoice,andratherstrong,femaleloinsshewasconsideredalittleold-fashionedand`womanly’。Shewasnota`littlepilchardsortoffish’,likeaboy,withaboy’sflatbreastandlittlebuttocks。Shewastoofemininetobequitesmart。
Sothemen,especiallythosenolongeryoung,wereverynicetoherindeed。But,knowingwhattorturepoorCliffordwouldfeelattheslightestsignofflirtingonherpart,shegavethemnoencouragementatall。Shewasquietandvague,shehadnocontactwiththemandintendedtohavenone。Cliffordwasextraordinarilyproudofhimself。
Hisrelativestreatedherquitekindly。Sheknewthatthekindlinessindicatedalackoffear,andthatthesepeoplehadnorespectforyouunlessyoucouldfrightenthemalittle。Butagainshehadnocontact。
Sheletthembekindlyanddisdainful,sheletthemfeeltheyhadnoneedtodrawtheirsteelinreadiness。Shehadnorealconnexionwiththem。
Timewenton。Whateverhappened,nothinghappened,becauseshewassobeautifullyoutofcontact。SheandCliffordlivedintheirideasandhisbooks。Sheentertained……therewerealwayspeopleinthehouse。Timewentonastheclockdoes,halfpasteightinsteadofhalfpastseven。
Chapter3
Conniewasaware,however,ofagrowingrestlessness。Outofherdisconnexion,arestlessnesswastakingpossessionofherlikemadness。Ittwitchedherlimbswhenshedidn’twanttotwitchthem,itjerkedherspinewhenshedidn’twanttojerkuprightbutpreferredtorestcomfortably。Itthrilledinsideherbody,inherwomb,somewhere,tillshefeltshemustjumpintowaterandswimtogetawayfromit;amadrestlessness。Itmadeherheartbeatviolentlyfornoreason。Andshewasgettingthinner。
Itwasjustrestlessness。Shewouldrushoffacrossthepark,abandonClifford,andlieproneinthebracken。Togetawayfromthehouse……shemustgetawayfromthehouseandeverybody。Theworkwasheronerefuge,hersanctuary。
Butitwasnotreallyarefuge,asanctuary,becauseshehadnoconnexionwithit。Itwasonlyaplacewhereshecouldgetawayfromtherest。Sheneverreallytouchedthespiritofthewooditself……ifithadanysuchnonsensicalthing。
Vaguelysheknewherselfthatshewasgoingtopiecesinsomeway。Vaguelysheknewshewasoutofconnexion:shehadlosttouchwiththesubstantialandvitalworld。OnlyCliffordandhisbooks,whichdidnotexist……whichhadnothinginthem!Voidtovoid。Vaguelysheknew。Butitwaslikebeatingherheadagainstastone。
Herfatherwarnedheragain:`Whydon’tyougetyourselfabeau,Connie?
Doyouallthegoodintheworld。’
ThatwinterMichaeliscameforafewdays。HewasayoungIrishmanwhohadalreadymadealargefortunebyhisplaysinAmerica。HehadbeentakenupquiteenthusiasticallyforatimebysmartsocietyinLondon,forhewrotesmartsocietyplays。Thengraduallysmartsocietyrealizedthatithadbeenmaderidiculousatthehandsofadown-at-heelDublinstreet-rat,andrevulsioncame。Michaeliswasthelastwordinwhatwascaddishandbounderish。Hewasdiscoveredtobeanti-English,andtotheclassthatmadethisdiscoverythiswasworsethanthedirtiestcrime。Hewascutdead,andhiscorpsethrownintotherefusecan。
NeverthelessMichaelishadhisapartmentinMayfair,andwalkeddownBondStreettheimageofagentleman,foryoucannotgeteventhebesttailorstocuttheirlow-downcustomers,whenthecustomerspay。
Cliffordwasinvitingtheyoungmanofthirtyataninauspiciousmomentinthyoungman’scareer。YetClifforddidnothesitate。Michaelishadtheearofafewmillionpeople,probably;and,beingahopelessoutsider,hewouldnodoubtbegratefultobeaskeddowntoWragbyatthisjuncture,whentherestofthesmartworldwascuttinghim。Beinggrateful,hewouldnodoubtdoClifford`good’overthereinAmerica。Kudos!Amangetsalotofkudos,whateverthatmaybe,bybeingtalkedaboutintherightway,especially`overthere’。Cliffordwasacomingman;anditwasremarkablewhatasoundpublicityinstincthehad。IntheendMichaelisdidhimmostnoblyinaplay,andCliffordwasasortofpopularhero。Tillthereaction,whenhefoundhehadbeenmaderidiculous。
ConniewonderedalittleoverClifford’sblind,imperiousinstincttobecomeknown:known,thatis,tothevastamorphousworldhedidnothimselfknow,andofwhichhewasuneasilyafraid;knownasawriter,asafirst-classmodernwriter。Conniewasawarefromsuccessful,old,hearty,bluffingSirMalcolm,thatartistsdidadvertisethemselves,andexertthemselvestoputtheirgoodsover。Butherfatherusedchannelsready-made,usedbyalltheotherR。A。swhosoldtheirpictures。WhereasClifforddiscoverednewchannelsofpublicity,allkinds。HehadallkindsofpeopleatWragby,withoutexactlyloweringhimself。But,determinedtobuildhimselfamonumentofareputationquickly,heusedanyhandyrubbleinthemaking。
Michaelisarrivedduly,inaveryneatcar,withachauffeurandamanservant。
HewasabsolutelyBondStreet!ButatrightofhimsomethinginClifford’scountysoulrecoiled。Hewasn’texactly……notexactly……infact,hewasn’tatall,well,whathisappearanceintendedtoimply。ToCliffordthiswasfinalandenough。Yethewasverypolitetotheman;totheamazingsuccessinhim。Thebitch-goddess,assheiscalled,ofSuccess,roamed,snarlingandprotective,roundthehalf-humble,half-defiantMichaelis’heels,andintimidatedCliffordcompletely:forhewantedtoprostitutehimselftothebitch-goddess,Successalso,ifonlyshewouldhavehim。
Michaelisobviouslywasn’tanEnglishman,inspiteofallthetailors,hatters,barbers,bootersoftheverybestquarterofLondon。No,no,heobviouslywasn’tanEnglishman:thewrongsortofflattish,palefaceandbearing;andthewrongsortofgrievance。Hehadagrudgeandagrievance:
thatwasobvioustoanytrue-bornEnglishgentleman,whowouldscorntoletsuchathingappearblatantinhisowndemeanour。PoorMichaelishadbeenmuchkicked,sothathehadaslightlytail-between-the-legslookevennow。Hehadpushedhiswaybysheerinstinctandsheerereffronteryontothestageandtothefrontofit,withhisplays。Hehadcaughtthepublic。Andhehadthoughtthekickingdayswereover。Alas,theyweren’t……
Theyneverwouldbe。Forhe,inasense,askedtobekicked。Hepinedtobewherehedidn’tbelong……amongtheEnglishupperclasses。Andhowtheyenjoyedthevariouskickstheygotathim!Andhowhehatedthem!
Neverthelesshetravelledwithhismanservantandhisveryneatcar,thisDublinmongrel。
TherewassomethingabouthimthatConnieliked。Hedidn’tputonairstohimself,hehadnoillusionsabouthimself。HetalkedtoCliffordsensibly,briefly,practically,aboutallthethingsCliffordwantedtoknow。Hedidn’texpandorlethimselfgo。HeknewhehadbeenaskeddowntoWragbytobemadeuseof,andlikeanold,shrewd,almostindifferentbusinessman,orbig-businessman,helethimselfbeaskedquestions,andheansweredwithaslittlewasteoffeelingaspossible。
`Money!’hesaid。`Moneyisasortofinstinct。It’sasortofpropertyofnatureinamantomakemoney。It’snothingyoudo。It’snotrickyouplay。It’sasortofpermanentaccidentofyourownnature;onceyoustart,youmakemoney,andyougoon;uptoapoint,Isuppose。’
`Butyou’vegottobegin,’saidClifford。
`Oh,quite!You’vegottogetin。Youcandonothingifyouarekeptoutside。You’vegottobeatyourwayin。Onceyou’vedonethat,youcan’thelpit。’
`Butcouldyouhavemademoneyexceptbyplays?’askedClifford。
`Oh,probablynot!ImaybeagoodwriterorImaybeabadone,butawriterandawriterofplaysiswhatIam,andI’vegottobe。There’snoquestionofthat。’
`Andyouthinkit’sawriterofpopularplaysthatyou’vegottobe?’
askedConnie。
`There,exactly!’hesaid,turningtoherinasuddenflash。`There’snothinginit!There’snothinginpopularity。There’snothinginthepublic,ifitcomestothat。There’snothingreallyinmyplaystomakethempopular。
It’snotthat。Theyjustareliketheweather……thesortthatwillhavetobe……forthetimebeing。’
Heturnedhisslow,ratherfulleyes,thathadbeendrownedinsuchfathomlessdisillusion,onConnie,andshetrembledalittle。Heseemedsoold……endlesslyold,builtupoflayersofdisillusion,goingdowninhimgenerationaftergeneration,likegeologicalstrata;andatthesametimehewasforlornlikeachild。Anoutcast,inacertainsense;butwiththedesperatebraveryofhisrat-likeexistence。
`Atleastit’swonderfulwhatyou’vedoneatyourtimeoflife,’saidCliffordcontemplatively。
`I’mthirty……yes,I’mthirty!’saidMichaelis,sharplyandsuddenly,withacuriouslaugh;hollow,triumphant,andbitter。
`Andareyoualone?’askedConnie。
`Howdoyoumean?DoIlivealone?I’vegotmyservant。He’saGreek,sohesays,andquiteincompetent。ButIkeephim。AndI’mgoingtomarry。
Oh,yes,Imustmarry。’
`Itsoundslikegoingtohaveyourtonsilscut,’laughedConnie。`Willitbeaneffort?’
Helookedatheradmiringly。`Well,LadyChatterley,somehowitwill!
Ifind……excuseme……IfindIcan’tmarryanEnglishwoman,notevenanIrishwoman……’
`TryanAmerican,’saidClifford。
`Oh,American!’Helaughedahollowlaugh。`No,I’veaskedmymanifhewillfindmeaTurkorsomething……somethingnearertotheOriental。’
Conniereallywonderedatthisqueer,melancholyspecimenofextraordinarysuccess;itwassaidhehadanincomeoffiftythousanddollarsfromAmericaalone。Sometimeshewashandsome:sometimesashelookedsideways,downwards,andthelightfellonhim,hehadthesilent,enduringbeautyofacarvedivoryNegromask,withhisratherfulleyes,andthestrongqueerly-archedbrows,theimmobile,compressedmouth;thatmomentarybutrevealedimmobility,animmobility,atimelessnesswhichtheBuddhaaimsat,andwhichNegroesexpresssometimeswithouteveraimingatit;somethingold,old,andacquiescentintherace!Aeonsofacquiescenceinracedestiny,insteadofourindividualresistance。Andthenaswimmingthrough,likeratsinadarkriver。Conniefeltasudden,strangeleapofsympathyforhim,aleapmingledwithcompassion,andtingedwithrepulsion,amountingalmosttolove。Theoutsider!Theoutsider!Andtheycalledhimabounder!HowmuchmorebounderishandassertiveCliffordlooked!Howmuchstupider!
Michaelisknewatoncehehadmadeanimpressiononher。Heturnedhisfull,hazel,slightlyprominenteyesonherinalookofpuredetachment。
Hewasestimatingher,andtheextentoftheimpressionhehadmade。WiththeEnglishnothingcouldsavehimfrombeingtheeternaloutsider,notevenlove。Yetwomensometimesfellforhim……Englishwomentoo。
HeknewjustwherehewaswithClifford。Theyweretwoaliendogswhichwouldhavelikedtosnarlatoneanother,butwhichsmiledinstead,perforce。
Butwiththewomanhewasnotquitesosure。
Breakfastwasservedinthebedrooms;Cliffordneverappearedbeforelunch,andthedining-roomwasalittledreary。AftercoffeeMichaelis,restlessandill-sittingsoul,wonderedwhatheshoulddo。ItwasafineNovember……dayfineforWragby。Helookedoverthemelancholypark。MyGod!Whataplace!
Hesentaservanttoask,couldhebeofanyservicetoLadyChatterley:
hethoughtofdrivingintoSheffield。Theanswercame,wouldhecaretogouptoLadyChatterley’ssitting-room。
Conniehadasitting-roomonthethirdfloor,thetopfloorofthecentralportionofthehouse。Clifford’sroomswereonthegroundfloor,ofcourse。
MichaeliswasflatteredbybeingaskeduptoLadyChatterley’sownparlour。
Hefollowedblindlyaftertheservant……henevernoticedthings,orhadcontactwithIsissurroundings。InherroomhedidglancevaguelyroundatthefineGermanreproductionsofRenoirandCé;zanne。
`It’sverypleasantuphere,’hesaid,withhisqueersmile,asifithurthimtosmile,showinghisteeth。`Youarewisetogetuptothetop。’
`Yes,Ithinkso,’shesaid。
Herroomwastheonlygay,modernoneinthehouse,theonlyspotinWragbywhereherpersonalitywasatallrevealed。Cliffordhadneverseenit,andsheaskedveryfewpeopleup。
NowsheandMichaelissitonoppositesidesofthefireandtalked。
Sheaskedhimabouthimself,hismotherandfather,hisbrothers……otherpeoplewerealwayssomethingofawondertoher,andwhenhersympathywasawakenedshewasquitedevoidofclassfeeling。Michaelistalkedfranklyabouthimself,quitefrankly,withoutaffectation,simplyrevealinghisbitter,indifferent,stray-dog’ssoul,thenshowingagleamofrevengefulprideinhissuccess。
`Butwhyareyousuchalonelybird?’Connieaskedhim;andagainhelookedather,withhisfull,searching,hazellook。
`Somebirdsarethatway,’hereplied。Then,withatouchoffamiliarirony:`but,lookhere,whataboutyourself?Aren’tyoubywayofbeingalonelybirdyourself?’Connie,alittlestartled,thoughtaboutitforafewmoments,andthenshesaid:`Onlyinaway!Notaltogether,likeyou!’
`AmIaltogetheralonelybird?’heasked,withhisqueergrinofasmile,asifhehadtoothache;itwassowry,andhiseyesweresoperfectlyunchanginglymelancholy,orstoical,ordisillusionedorafraid。
`Why?’shesaid,alittlebreathless,asshelookedathim。`Youare,aren’tyou?’
Shefeltaterribleappealcomingtoherfromhim,thatmadeheralmostloseherbalance。