Themanlayflatonhisstomachonthefloor,hisneckpressedback,wrigglingundertheengineandpokingwithhisfinger。Conniethoughtwhatapatheticsortofthingamanwas,feebleandsmall-looking,whenhewaslyingonhisbellyonthebigearth。
`SeemsallrightasfarasIcansee,’camehismuffledvoice。
`Idon’tsupposeyoucandoanything,’saidClifford。
`SeemsasifIcan’t!’Andhescrambledupandsatonhisheels,collierfashion。`There’scertainlynothingobviouslybroken。’
Cliffordstartedhisengine,thenputheringear。Shewouldnotmove。
`Runherabithard,like,’suggestedthekeeper。
Cliffordresentedtheinterference:buthemadehisenginebuzzlikeablue-bottle。Thenshecoughedandsnarledandseemedtogobetter。
`Soundsasifshe’dcomeclear,’saidMellors。
ButCliffordhadalreadyjerkedherintogear。Shegaveasicklurchandebbedweaklyforwards。
`IfIgiveherapush,she’lldoit,’saidthekeeper,goingbehind。
`Keepoff!’snappedClifford。`She’lldoitbyherself。’
`ButClifford!’putinConniefromthebank,`youknowit’stoomuchforher。Whyareyousoobstinate!’
Cliffordwaspalewithanger。Hejabbedathislevers。Thechairgaveasortofscurry,reeledonafewmoreyards,andcametoherendamidaparticularlypromisingpatchofbluebells。
`She’sdone!’saidthekeeper。`Notpowerenough。’
`She’sbeenupherebefore,’saidCliffordcoldly。
`Shewon’tdoitthistime,’saidthekeeper。
Clifforddidnotreply。Hebegandoingthingswithhisengine,runningherfastandslowasiftogetsomesortoftuneoutofher。Thewoodre-echoedwithweirdnoises。Thenheputheringearwithajerk,havingjerkedoffhisbrake。
`You’llripherinsideout,’murmuredthekeeper。
Thechairchargedinasicklurchsidewaysattheditch。
`Clifford!’criedConnie,rushingforward。
Butthekeeperhadgotthechairbytherail。Clifford,however,puttingonallhispressure,managedtosteerintotheriding,andwithastrangenoisethechairwasfightingthehill。Mellorspushedsteadilybehind,andupshewent,asiftoretrieveherself。
`Yousee,she’sdoingit!’saidClifford,victorious,glancingoverhisshoulder。Therehesawthekeeper’sface。
`Areyoupushingher?’
`Shewon’tdoitwithout。’
`Leaveheralone。Iaskedyounot。
`Shewon’tdoit。’
`Lethertry!’snarledClifford,withallhisemphasis。
Thekeeperstoodback:thenturnedtofetchhiscoatandgun。Thechairseemedtostrangeimmediately。Shestoodinert。Clifford,seatedaprisoner,waswhitewithvexation。Hejerkedattheleverswithhishand,hisfeetwerenogood。Hegotqueernoisesoutofher。Insavageimpatiencehemovedlittlehandlesandgotmorenoisesoutofher。Butshewouldnotbudge。
No,shewouldnotbudge。Hestoppedtheengineandsatrigidwithanger。
Constancesatonthebankaridlookedatthewretchedandtrampledbluebells。
`NothingquitesolovelyasanEnglishspring。’`Icandomyshareofruling。’
`Whatweneedtotakeupnowiswhips,notswords。’`Therulingclasses!’
Thekeeperstrodeupwithhiscoatandgun,Flossiecautiouslyathisheels。Cliffordaskedthemantodosomethingorothertotheengine。Connie,whounderstoodnothingatallofthetechnicalitiesofmotors,andwhohadhadexperienceofbreakdowns,satpatientlyonthebankasifshewereacipher。Thekeeperlayonhisstomachagain。Therulingclassesandtheservingclasses!
Hegottohisfeetandsaidpatiently:
`Tryheragain,then。’
Hespokeinaquietvoice,almostasiftoachild。
Cliffordtriedher,andMellorssteppedquicklybehindandbegantopush。Shewasgoing,theenginedoingabouthalfthework,themantherest。
Cliffordglancedround,yellowwithanger。
`Willyougetoffthere!’
Thekeeperdroppedhisholdatonce,andCliffordadded:`HowshallIknowwhatsheisdoing!’
Themanputhisgundownandbegantopullonhiscoat。He’ddone。
Thechairbeganslowlytorunbackwards。
`Clifford,yourbrake!’criedConnie。
She,Mellors,andCliffordmovedatonce,Connieandthekeeperjostlinglightly。Thechairstood。Therewasamomentofdeadsilence。
`It’sobviousI’mateverybody’smercy!’saidClifford。Hewasyellowwithanger。
Nooneanswered。Mellorswasslinginghisgunoverhisshoulder,hisfacequeerandexpressionless,saveforanabstractedlookofpatience。
ThedogFlossie,standingonguardalmostbetweenhermaster’slegs,moveduneasily,eyeingthechairwithgreatsuspicionanddislike,andverymuchperplexedbetweenthethreehumanbeings。Thetableauvivantremainedsetamongthesquashedbluebells,nobodyprofferingaword。
`Iexpectshe’llhavetobepushed,’saidCliffordatlast,withanaffectationofsangfroid。
Noanswer。Mellors’abstractedfacelookedasifhehadheardnothing。
Connieglancedanxiouslyathim。Cliffordtooglancedround。
`Doyoumindpushingherhome,Mellors!’hesaidinacoolsuperiortone。`IhopeIhavesaidnothingtooffendyou,’headded,inatoneofdislike。
`Nothingatall,SirClifford!Doyouwantmetopushthatchair?’
`Ifyouplease。’
Themansteppeduptoit:butthistimeitwaswithouteffect。Thebrakewasjammed。Theypokedandpulled,andthekeepertookoffhisgunandhiscoatoncemore。AndnowCliffordsaidneveraword。Atlastthekeeperheavedthebackofthechairoffthegroundand,withaninstantaneouspushofhisfoot,triedtoloosenthewheels。Hefailed,thechairsank。
Cliffordwasclutchingthesides。Themangaspedwiththeweight。
`Don’tdoit!’criedConnietohim。
`Ifyou’llpullthewheelthatway,so!’hesaidtoher,showingherhow。
`No!Youmustn’tliftit!You’llstrainyourself,’shesaid,flushednowwithanger。
Buthelookedintohereyesandnodded。Andshehadtogoandtakeholdofthewheel,ready。Heheavedandshetugged,andthechairreeled。
`ForGod’ssake!’criedCliffordinterror。
Butitwasallright,andthebrakewasoff。Thekeeperputastoneunderthewheel,andwenttositonthebank,hisheartbeatandhisfacewhitewiththeeffort,semi-conscious。
Connielookedathim,andalmostcriedwithanger。Therewasapauseandadeadsilence。Shesawhishandstremblingonhisthighs。
`Haveyouhurtyourself?’sheasked,goingtohim。
`No。No!’Heturnedawayalmostangrily。
Therewasdeadsilence。ThebackofClifford’sfairheaddidnotmove。
Eventhedogstoodmotionless。Theskyhadcloudedover。
Atlasthesighed,andblewhisnoseonhisredhandkerchief。
`Thatpneumoniatookalotoutofme,’hesaid。
Nooneanswered。ConniecalculatedtheamountofstrengthitmusthavetakentoheaveupthatchairandthebulkyClifford:toomuch,fartoomuch!Ifithadn’tkilledhim!
Herose,andagainpickeduphiscoat,slingingitthroughthehandleofthechair。
`Areyouready,then,SirClifford?’
`Whenyouare!’
Hestoopedandtookoutthescotch,thenputhisweightagainstthechair。HewaspalerthanConniehadeverseenhim:andmoreabsent。Cliffordwasaheavyman:andthehillwassteep。Conniesteppedtothekeeper’sside。
`I’mgoingtopushtoo!’shesaid。
Andshebegantoshovewithawoman’sturbulentenergyofanger。Thechairwentfaster。Cliffordlookedround。
`Isthatnecessary?’hesaid。
`Very!Doyouwanttokilltheman!Ifyou’dletthemotorworkwhileitwould——’
Butshedidnotfinish。Shewasalreadypanting。Sheslackenedoffalittle,foritwassurprisinglyhardwork。
`Ay!slower!’saidthemanatherside,withafaintsmileofhiseyes。
`Areyousureyou’venothurtyourself?’shesaidfiercely。
Heshookhishead。Shelookedathissmallish,short,alivehand,brownedbytheweather。Itwasthehandthatcaressedher。Shehadneverevenlookedatitbefore。Itseemedsostill,likehim,withacuriousinwardstillnessthatmadeherwanttoclutchit,asifshecouldnotreachit。Allhersoulsuddenlyswepttowardshim:hewassosilent,andoutofreach!Andhefelthislimbsrevive。Shovingwithhislefthand,helaidhisrightonherroundwhitewrist,softlyenfoldingherwrist,withacaress。Andtheflameofstrengthwentdownhisbackandhisloins,revivinghim。Andshebentsuddenlyandkissedhishand。MeanwhilethebackofClifford’sheadwasheldsleekandmotionless,justinfrontofthem。
Atthetopofthehilltheyrested,andConniewasgladtoletgo。Shehadhadfugitivedreamsoffriendshipbetweenthesetwomen:oneherhusband,theotherthefatherofherchild。Nowshesawthescreamingabsurdityofherdreams。Thetwomaleswereashostileasfireandwater。Theymutuallyexterminatedoneanother。Andsherealizedforthefirsttimewhataqueersubtlethinghateis。Forthefirsttime,shehadconsciouslyanddefinitelyhatedClifford,withvividhate:asifheoughttobeobliteratedfromthefaceoftheearth。Anditwasstrange,howfreeandfulloflifeitmadeherfeel,tohatehimandtoadmititfullytoherself——`NowI’vehatedhim,Ishallneverbeabletogoonlivingwithhim,’camethethoughtintohermind。
Onthelevelthekeepercouldpushthechairalone。Cliffordmadealittleconversationwithher,toshowhiscompletecomposure:aboutAuntEva,whowasatDieppe,andaboutSirMalcolm,whohadwrittentoaskwouldConniedrivewithhiminhissmallcar,toVenice,orwouldsheandHildagobytrain。
`I’dmuchrathergobytrain,’saidConnie。`Idon’tlikelongmotordrives,especiallywhenthere’sdust。ButIshallseewhatHildawants。’
`Shewillwanttodriveherowncar,andtakeyouwithher,’hesaid。
`Probably!——Imusthelpuphere。You’venoideahowheavythischairis。’
Shewenttothebackofthechair,andploddedsidebysidewiththekeeper,shovingupthepinkpath。Shedidnotcarewhosaw。
`Whynotletmewait,andfetchField?Heisstrongenoughforthejob,’
saidClifford。
`It’ssonear,’shepanted。
ButbothsheandMellorswipedthesweatfromtheirfaceswhentheycametothetop。Itwascurious,butthisbitofworktogetherhadbroughtthemmuchcloserthantheyhadbeenbefore。
`Thankssomuch,Mellors,’saidClifford,whentheywereatthehousedoor。`Imustgetadifferentsortofmotor,that’sall。Won’tyougotothekitchenandhaveameal?Itmustbeabouttime。’
`Thankyou,SirClifford。Iwasgoingtomymotherfordinnertoday,Sunday。’
`Asyoulike。’
Mellorsslungintohiscoat,lookedatConnie,saluted,andwasgone。
Connie,furious,wentupstairs。
Atlunchshecouldnotcontainherfeeling。
`Whyareyousoabominablyinconsiderate,Clifford?’shesaidtohim。
`Ofwhom?’
`Ofthekeeper!Ifthatiswhatyoucallrulingclasses,I’msorryforyou。’
`Why?’
`Amanwho’sbeenill,andisn’tstrong!Myword,ifIweretheservingclasses,I’dletyouwaitforservice。I’dletyouwhistle。’
`Iquitebelieveit。’
`Ifhe’dbeensittinginachairwithparalysedlegs,andbehavedasyoubehaved,whatwouldyouhavedoneforhim?’
`Mydearevangelist,thisconfusingofpersonsandpersonalitiesisinbadtaste。’
`Andyournasty,sterilewantofcommonsympathyisintheworsttasteimaginable。Noblesseoblige!Youandyourrulingclass!’
`Andtowhatshoulditobligeme?Tohavealotofunnecessaryemotionsaboutmygame-keeper?Irefuse。Ileaveitalltomyevangelist。’
`Asifheweren’tamanasmuchasyouare,myword!’
`Mygame-keepertoboot,andIpayhimtwopoundsaweekandgivehimahouse。’
`Payhim!Whatdoyouthinkyoupayfor,withtwopoundsaweekandahouse?’
`Hisservices。’
`Bah!Iwouldtellyoutokeepyourtwopoundsaweekandyourhouse。’
`Probablyhewouldliketo:butcan’taffordtheluxury!’
`You,andrule!’shesaid。`Youdon’trule,don’tflatteryourself。
Youhaveonlygotmorethanyourshareofthemoney,andmakepeopleworkforyoufortwopoundsaweek,orthreatenthemwithstarvation。Rule!
Whatdoyougiveforthofrule?Why,youredriedup!Youonlybullywithyourmoney,likeanyJeworanySchieber!’
`Youareveryelegantinyourspeech,LadyChatterley!’
`Iassureyou,youwereveryelegantaltogetheroutthereinthewood。
Iwasutterlyashamedofyou。Why,myfatheristentimesthehumanbeingyouare:yougentleman!’
HereachedandrangthebellforMrsBolton。Buthewasyellowatthegills。
Shewentuptoherroom,furious,sayingtoherself:`Himandbuyingpeople!Well,hedoesn’tbuyme,andthereforethere’snoneedformetostaywithhim。Deadfishofagentleman,withhiscelluloidsoul!Andhowtheytakeonein,withtheirmannersandtheirmockwistfulnessandgentleness。
They’vegotaboutasmuchfeelingascelluloidhas。’
Shemadeherplansforthenight,anddeterminedtogetCliffordoffhermind。Shedidn’twanttohatehim。Shedidn’twanttobemixedupveryintimatelywithhiminanysortoffeeling。Shewantedhimnottoknowanythingatallaboutherself:andespecially,nottoknowanythingaboutherfeelingforthekeeper。Thissquabbleofherattitudetotheservantswasanoldone。Hefoundhertoofamiliar,shefoundhimstupidlyinsentient,toughandindiarubberywhereotherpeoplewereconcerned。
Shewentdownstairscalmly,withherolddemurebearing,atdinner-time。
Hewasstillyellowatthegills:inforoneofhisliverbouts,whenhewasreallyveryqueer——HewasreadingaFrenchbook。
`HaveyoueverreadProust?’heaskedher。
`I’vetried,butheboresme。’
`He’sreallyveryextraordinary。’
`Possibly!Butheboresme:allthatsophistication!Hedoesn’thavefeelings,heonlyhasstreamsofwordsaboutfeelings。I’mtiredofself-importantmentalities。’