На маяк. Уровень 3 / To the Lighthouse

It annoyed her, this phrase-making, and she said to him, that it was a perfectly lovely evening. And what was he groaning about, she asked.

She was half laughing, half complaining, for she guessed what he was thinking. He can write better books if he is not married.

He was not complaining, he said.

She knew that he did not complain. She knew that he had nothing whatever to complain of. And he seized her hand and raised it to his lips and kissed it with an intensity that brought the tears to her eyes. Then he dropped it.

They turned away and began to walk up the path where the silver-green spear-like plants grew, arm in arm.

His arm was almost like a young man’s arm, Mrs. Ramsay thought, thin and hard.

She thought with delight how strong he still was, though he was over sixty. And how untamed and optimistic. He was convinced of all sorts of horrors, but they did not depress him, but cheered him.

Was it not odd, she reflected?

Indeed he seemed to her sometimes blind, deaf, and dumb to the ordinary things.

But to the extraordinary things, he had an eye like an eagle’s. His understanding often astonished her. But did he notice the flowers? No. Did he notice the view? No. Did he even notice his own daughter’s beauty, or a pudding on his plate or roast beef? He sits at table with them like a person in a dream. And his habit of talking aloud, or saying poetry aloud!

“Best and brightest come away!”

Mrs. Ramsay showed him, by a little pressure on his arm, that he walked up hill too fast for her.

She must stop for a moment to see whether those were fresh molehills on the bank. A great mind like his must be different from ours.

At that moment, he said, “Very fine,” to please her. He pretended to admire the flowers. But she knew quite well that he did not admire them. He did not even realise that they were there. It was only to please her.

Ah, but was that not Lily Briscoe with William Bankes? She focused her eyes upon the backs of the couple.

Yes, indeed it was. Did that not mean that they would marry? Yes, it must! What an admirable idea! They must marry!

13

He had been to Amsterdam, Mr. Bankes was saying as he strolled across the lawn with Lily Briscoe. He had seen the Rembrandts[17 - the Rembrandts – работы Рембрандта].

He had been to Madrid. Unfortunately, it was Good Friday[18 - Good Friday – Страстная Пятница] and the Prado was shut.