n was strong enough to carry with it everything--reason, soul,
blood--in a great sweep, like the Trent carries bodily its back-swirls
and intertwinings, noiselessly. Gradually the little criticisms, the
little sensations, were lost, thought also went, everything borne along
in one flood. He became, not a man with a mind, but a great instinct.
His hands were like creatures, living; his limbs, his body, were
all life and consciousness, subject to no will of his, but living in
themselves. Just as he was, so it seemed the vigorous, wintry stars were
strong also with life. He and they struck with the same pulse of fire,
and the same joy of strength which held the bracken-frond stiff near
his eyes held his own body firm. It was as if he, and the stars, and the
dark herbage, and Clara were licked up in an immense tongue of flame,
which tore onwards and upwards. Everything rushed along in living beside
him; everything was still, perfect in itself, along with him. This
wonderful stillness in each thing in itself, while it was being borne
along in a very ecstasy of living, seemed the highest point of bliss.

And Clara knew this held him to her, so she trusted altogether to the
passion. It, however, failed her very often. They did not often reach
again the height of that once when the peewits had called. Gradually,
some mechanical effort spoilt their loving, or, when they had splendid
moments, they had them separately, and not so satisfactorily. So often
he seemed merely to be running on alone; often they realised it had been
a failure, not what they had wanted. He left her, knowing THAT evening
had only made a little split between them. Their loving grew more
mechanical, without the marvellous glamour. Gradually they began to
introduce novelties, to get back some of the feeling of satisfaction.
They would be very near, almost dangerously near to the river, so that
the black water ran not far from his face, and it gave a little thrill;
or they loved sometimes in a little hollow below the fence of the path
where people were passing occasionally, on the edge of the town, and
they heard footsteps coming, almost felt the vibration of the tread,
and they heard what the passersby said--strange little things that
were never intended to be heard. And afterwards each of them was rather
ashamed, and these things caused a distance between the two of them. He
began to despise her a little, as if she had merited it!

One night he left her to g