me off by teaching me love. I
wanted to be loved. Yes. But I gave too much of myself to you as it was,
and I gave nothing to him really. Only anyone would say I did. And then
my mother went mad, because she thought I was gone gay; and she died;
and I got married to what's nothing more than an animal. But they're all
animals. All men. Some are nicer sorts of animals than others, but
they're all the same. And that's me since you left me. Only now I've
got a boy, and he's like _me_. He's got my eyes, and I'm going to teach
him, so as he isn't an animal, see? And I've got my little sister May,
who I promised I'd look after, and I have.... Go away, Maurice, leave
me. I don't want you. I can't forgive you. I can only just not care
whether you're there or not. But go away, because I don't want to be
worried by other people."

Maurice bowed his head.

"I see, I see that I have suffered nothing," he said. "Superficial fool
that I am. Shallow, shallow ass, incompetent, dull and unimaginative
block! I'm glad I've seen you. I'm glad I've heard you say all that.
You've taught me something--perhaps in time. I'm only twenty-eight
now--and fancy, you're only twenty-four--so I can go and think what
might have been and, better, what I may be through you, what I will be.
I won't say I'm sorry. That would be an impertinence ... as you said, I
simply am not at all."

The mist closed round them thicker for a moment; then seemed to lighten
very slowly. Jenny was staring at the cliff's top.

"Is that a bush blowing up and down or a man's head bobbing?"

"I don't see any man," he answered.

"Good-bye," Jenny said.

"Good-bye."

She turned to the upward path, pulling herself up the quicker by
grasping handfuls of fern fronds. Suddenly there was a shout through the
fog.

"Snared, my lill wild thing!"

There came a report. Jenny fell backwards into the ferns and foxgloves
and withered bluebells.

"Good God!" cried Maurice. "You're hurt."

"Something funny's happened. Oh! Oh! It's burning," she shrieked. "Oh,
my throat! my throat!... my throat!"

The sea-birds wheeled about the mist, screaming dismay.

* * * * *

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

techinque=>technique

assimiliated form=>assimilated form

later's opinion=latter's opinion

nose is high=>nose as high

baseles=>baseless

afternon=>afternoon

biabolic strangeness=>diabolic strangeness

yet you kno