Любовник леди Чаттерлей
Chapter 2
Hehadtakentowritingstories;curious,verypersonalstoriesaboutpeoplehehadknown.Clever,ratherspiteful,andyet,insomemysteriousway,meaningless.Theobservationwasextraordinaryandpeculiar.Buttherewasnotouch,noactualcontact.Itwasasifthewholethingtookplaceinavacuum.Andsincethefieldoflifeislargelyanartificially-lightedstagetoday,thestorieswerecuriouslytruetomodernlife,tothemodernpsychology,thatis.
Cliffordwasalmostmorbidlysensitiveaboutthesestories.Hewantedeveryonetothinkthemgood,ofthebest,neplusultra.Theyappearedinthemostmodernmagazines,andwerepraisedandblamedasusual.ButtoCliffordtheblamewastorture,likeknivesgoadinghim.Itwasasifthewholeofhisbeingwereinhisstories.
Conniehelpedhimasmuchasshecould.Atfirstshewasthrilled.Hetalkedeverythingoverwithhermonotonously,insistently,persistently,andshehadtorespondwithallhermight.Itwasasifherwholesoulandbodyandsexhadtorouseupandpassintothemestoriesofhis.Thisthrilledherandabsorbedher.
Ofphysicallifetheylivedverylittle.Shehadtosuperintendthehouse.ButthehousekeeperhadservedSirGeoffreyformanyyears,andthedried-up,elderly,superlativelycorrectfemaleyoucouldhardlycallheraparlour-maid,orevenawoman...whowaitedattable,hadbeeninthehouseforfortyyears.Eventheveryhousemaidswerenolongeryoung.