小说园

第67部分（第1页）

Gudrun　was　born。　All　these　years　nothing　had　happened　save　the

ing　of　the　children；　nothing　had　mattered　but　the　bodies　of

her　babies。　As　her　children　came　into　consciousness；　as　they

began　to　suffer　their　own　fulfilment；　she　cast　them　off。　But　she

remained　dominant　in　the　house。　Brangwen　continued　in　a　kind　of

rich　drowse　of　physical　heat；　in　connection　with　his　wife。　They

were　neither　of　them　quite　personal；　quite　defined　as

individuals；　so　much　were　they　pervaded　by　the　physical　heat　of

breeding　and　rearing　their　young。

How　Ursula　resented　it；　how　she　fought　against　the　close；

physical；　limited　life　of　herded　domesticity！　Calm；　placid；

unshakeable　as　ever；　Mrs。　Brangwen　went　about　in　her　dominance

of　physical　maternity。

There　were　battles。　Ursula　would　fight　for　things　that

mattered　to　her。　She　would　have　the　children　less　rude　and

tyrannical；　she　would　have　a　place　in　the　house。　But　her

mother　pulled　her　down；　pulled　her　down。　With　all　the　cunning

instinct　of　a　breeding　animal；　Mrs。　Brangwen　ridiculed　and　held

cheap　Ursulas　passions；　her　ideas；　her　pronunciations。　Ursula

would　try　to　insist；　in　her　own　home；　on　the　right　of　women　to

take　equal　place　with　men　in　the　field　of　action　and　work。

〃Ay；〃　said　the　mother；　〃theres　a　good　crop　of　stockings

lying　ripe　for　mending。　Let　that　be　your　field　of　action。〃

Ursula　disliked　mending　stockings；　and　this　retort　maddened

her。　She　hated　her　mother　bitterly。　After　a　few　weeks　of

enforced　domestic　life；　she　had　had　enough　of　her　home。　The

monness；　the　triviality；　the　immediate　meaninglessness　of　it

all　drove　her　to　frenzy。　She　talked　and　stormed　ideas；　she

corrected　and　nagged　at　the　children；　she　turned　her　back　in

silent　contempt　on　her　breeding　mother；　who　treated　her　with

supercilious　indifference；　as　if　she　were　a　pretentious　child

not　to　be　taken　seriously。

Brangwen　was　sometimes　dragged　into　the　trouble。　He　loved

Ursula；　therefore　he　always　had　a　sense　of　shame；　almost　of

betrayal；　when　he　turned　on　her。　So　he　turned　fiercely　and

scathingly；　and　with　a　wholesale　brutality　that　made　Ursula　go

white；　mute；　and　numb。　Her　feelings　seemed　to　be　being

deadened　in　her；　her　temper　hard　and　cold。

Brangwen　himself　was　in　one　of　his　states　or　flux。　After　all

these　years；　he　began　to　see　a　loophole　of　freedom。　For　twenty