Місіс Деллоуей

           Itmightbepossible,Septimusthought,lookingatEnglandfromthetrainwindow,astheyleftNewhaven;itmightbepossiblethattheworlditselfiswithoutmeaning.

           Attheofficetheyadvancedhimtoapostofconsiderableresponsibility.Theywereproudofhim;hehadwoncrosses.“Youhavedoneyourduty;itisuptous—”beganMr.Brewer;andcouldnotfinish,sopleasurablewashisemotion.TheytookadmirablelodgingsofftheTottenhamCourtRoad.

           HereheopenedShakespeareoncemore.Thatboy’sbusinessoftheintoxicationoflanguage—AntonyandCleopatra—hadshrivelledutterly.HowShakespeareloathedhumanity—theputtingonofclothes,thegettingofchildren,thesordidityofthemouthandthebelly!ThiswasnowrevealedtoSeptimus;themessagehiddeninthebeautyofwords.Thesecretsignalwhichonegenerationpasses,underdisguise,tothenextisloathing,hatred,despair.Dantethesame.Aeschylus(translated)thesame.ThereReziasatatthetabletrimminghats.ShetrimmedhatsforMrs.Filmer’sfriends;shetrimmedhatsbythehour.Shelookedpale,mysterious,likealily,drowned,underwater,hethought.

           “TheEnglisharesoserious,”shewouldsay,puttingherarmsroundSeptimus,hercheekagainsthis.

           LovebetweenmanandwomanwasrepulsivetoShakespeare.Thebusinessofcopulationwasfilthtohimbeforetheend.But,Reziasaid,shemusthavechildren.Theyhadbeenmarriedfiveyears.