TO THE LIGHTHOUSEthe spell was broken. Mr. Ramsay felt freenow to laugh out loud at Hume, who had stuckin a bog and an old woman rescued him oncondition he said the Lord’s Prayer, and chucklingto himself he strolled off to his study. Mrs.Ramsay, bringing Prue back into the alliance offamily life again, from which she had escaped,throwing catches, asked,

"Did Nancy go with them?"14

(Certainly, Nancy had gone with them, sinceMinta Doyle had asked it with her dumb look,holding out her hand, as Nancy made off, afterlunch, to her attic, to escape the horror of familylife. She supposed she must go then. She didnot want to go. She did not want to be drawninto it all. For as they walked along the road tothe cliff Minta kept on taking her hand. Thenshe would let it go. Then she would take itagain. What was it she wanted? Nancy askedherself. There was something, of course, thatpeople wanted; for when Minta took her handand held it, Nancy, reluctantly, saw the wholeworld spread out beneath her, as if it were Con-stantinople seen through a mist, and then, howeverheavy-eyed one might be, one must needs ask, "Is116
Resize Images  

Select Pane

Berg Materials
 

View Pane