Місіс Деллоуей

           Therewasaman,charming,clever,withideasabouteverything.IfyouwantedtoknowaboutPope,say,orAddison,orjusttotalknonsense,whatpeoplewerelike,whatthingsmeant,Peterknewbetterthananyone.ItwasPeterwhohadhelpedher;Peterwhohadlentherbooks.Butlookatthewomenheloved—vulgar,trivial,commonplace.ThinkofPeterinlove—hecametoseeherafteralltheseyears,andwhatdidhetalkabout?Himself.Horriblepassion!shethought.Degradingpassion!shethought,thinkingofKilmanandherElizabethwalkingtotheArmyandNavyStores.

           BigBenstruckthehalf-hour.

           Howextraordinaryitwas,strange,yes,touching,toseetheoldlady(theyhadbeenneighbourseversomanyyears)moveawayfromthewindow,asifshewereattachedtothatsound,thatstring.Giganticasitwas,ithadsomethingtodowithher.Down,down,intothemidstofordinarythingsthefingerfellmakingthemomentsolemn.Shewasforced,soClarissaimagined,bythatsound,tomove,togo—butwhere?Clarissatriedtofollowherassheturnedanddisappeared,andcouldstilljustseeherwhitecapmovingatthebackofthebedroom.Shewasstilltheremovingaboutattheotherendoftheroom.Whycreedsandprayersandmackintoshes?when,thoughtClarissa,that’sthemiracle,that’sthemystery;thatoldlady,shemeant,whomshecouldseegoingfromchestofdrawerstodressing-table.Shecouldstillseeher.