第57部分(第3/7 頁)

ith　love。　A　sort　of　defiance　of　all

the　world　possessed　her　in　it……she　would　kiss　him　just

because　she　wanted　to。　And　a　dare…devilry　in　him；　like　a

cynicism；　a　cut　at　everything　he　pretended　to　serve；　retaliated

in　him。

She　was　very　beautiful　then；　so　wide　opened；　so　radiant；　so

palpitating；　exquisitely　vulnerable　and　poignantly；　wrongly；

throwing　herself　to　risk。　It　roused　a　sort　of　madness　in　him。

Like　a　flower　shaking　and　wide…opened　in　the　sun；　she　tempted

him　and　challenged　him；　and　he　accepted　the　challenge；　something

went　fixed　in　him。　And　under　all　her　laughing；　poignant

recklessness　was　the　quiver　of　tears。　That　almost　sent　him　mad；

mad　with　desire；　with　pain；　whose　only　issue　was　through

possession　of　her　body。

So；　shaken；　afraid；　they　went　back　to　her　parents　in　the

kitchen；　and　dissimulated。　But　something　was　roused　in　both　of

them　that　they　could　not　now　allay。　It　intensified　and

heightened　their　senses；　they　were　more　vivid；　and　powerful　in

their　being。　But　under　it　all　was　a　poignant　sense　of

transience。　It　was　a　magnificent　self…assertion　on　the　part　of

both　of　them；　he　asserted　himself　before　her；　he　felt　himself

infinitely　male　and　infinitely　irresistible；　she　asserted

herself　before　him；　she　knew　herself　infinitely　desirable；　and

hence　infinitely　strong。　And　after　all；　what　could　either　of

them　get　from　such　a　passion　but　a　sense　of　his　or　of　her　own

maximum　self；　in　contradistinction　to　all　the　rest　of　life？

Wherein　was　something　finite　and　sad；　for　the　human　soul　at　its

maximum　wants　a　sense　of　the　infinite。

Nevertheless；　it　was　begun　now；　this　passion；　and