Page:Women in Love, Lawrence, 1920.djvu/77

WOMEN IN LOVE 69 "No — never very much afraid. On the whole they're harmless — they're not born yet, you can't feel really afraid of them. You know you can manage them." "Do you weally? Aren't they vewy fierce?" "Not very. There aren't many fierce things, as a matter of fact. There aren't many things, neither people nor ani- mals, that have it in them to be really dangerous." "Except in herds," interrupted Birkin. "Aren't there really?" she said. "Oh, I thought savages were all so dangerous, they'd have your life before you could look round." "Did you?" he laughed. "They are over-rated, savages. They're too much like other people, not exciting, after the first acquaintance." "Oh, it's not so very wonderfully brave then, to be an explorer?" "No. It's more a question of hardships than of terrors." "Oh! And weren't you ever afwaid?" "In my life? I don't know. Yes, I'm afraid of some things — of being shut up, locked up anywhere — or being fas- tened. I'm afraid of being bound hand and foot." She looked at him steadily with her dark eyes, that rested on him and roused him so deeply, that it left his upper self quite calm. It was rather delicious, to feel her drawing his self-revelations from him, as from the very innermost dark marrow of his body. She wanted to know. And her dark eyes seemed to be looking through into his naked organism. He felt, she was compelled to him, she was fated to come into contact with him, must have the seeing him and knowing him. And this roused a curious exultance. Also he felt, she must relinquish herself into his hands, and be subject to him. She was so profane, slave-like, watching him, absorbed by him. It was not that she was interested in what he said: she was absorbed by his self-revelation, by him, she wanted the secret of him, the experience of his male being. Gerald's face was lit up with an uncanny smile, full of light and rousedness, yet unconscious. He sat with his arms on the table, his sun-browned, rather sinister hands, that were animal and yet very shapely and attractive, pushed forward