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第21章

[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第21章


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Mrs。 Seal looked up with renewed hope in her eyes; 
and exclaiming: 

“The proofs at last!” ran to open the door。 “Oh; it’s only 
Mr。 Denham!” she cried; without any attempt to conceal 
her disappointment。 Ralph; Katharine supposed; was a 
frequent visitor; for the only person he thought it necessary 
to greet was herself; and Mary at once explained the 
strange fact of her being there by saying: 

“Katharine has e to see how one runs an office。” 

Ralph felt himself stiffen unfortably; as he said: 

“I hope Mary hasn’t persuaded you that she knows how 
to run an office?” 

“What; doesn’t she?” said Katharine; looking from one 

to the other。 

At these remarks Mrs。 Seal began to exhibit signs of 
disposure; which displayed themselves by a tossing 
movement of her head; and; as Ralph took a letter from 
his pocket; and placed his finger upon a certain sentence; 
she forestalled him by exclaiming in confusion: 

“Now; I know what you’re going to say; Mr。 Denham! 
But it was the day Kit Markham was here; and she upsets 
one so—with her wonderful vitality; always thinking of 
something new that we ought to be doing and aren’t— 
and I was conscious at the time that my dates were mixed。 
It had nothing to do with Mary at all; I assure you。” 

“My dear Sally; don’t apologize;” said Mary; laughing。 
“Men are such pedants—they don’t know what things 
matter; and what things don’t。” 

“Now; Denham; speak up for our sex;” said Mr。 Clacton 
in a jocular manner; indeed; but like most insignificant 
men he was very quick to resent being found fault with 
by a woman; in argument with whom he was fond of 
calling himself “a mere man。” He wished; however; to 
enter into a literary conservation with Miss Hilbery; and 

74 



Virginia Woolf 

thus let the matter drop。 

“Doesn’t it seem strange to you; Miss Hilbery;” he said; 
“that the French; with all their wealth of illustrious names; 
have no poet who can pare with your grandfather? 
Let me see。 There’s Chenier and Hugo and Alfred de 
Musset—wonderful men; but; at the same time; there’s a 
richness; a freshness about Alardyce—” 

Here the telephone bell rang; and he had to absent 
himself with a smile and a bow which signified that; although 
literature is delightful; it is not work。 Mrs。 Seal 
rose at the same time; but remained hovering over the 
table; delivering herself of a tirade against party government。 
“For if I were to tell you what I know of backstairs 
intrigue; and what can be done by the power of the purse; 
you wouldn’t credit me; Mr。 Denham; you wouldn’t; indeed。 
Which is why I feel that the only work for my father’s 
daughter—for he was one of the pioneers; Mr。 Denham; 
and on his tombstone I had that verse from the Psalms 
put; about the sowers and the seed… 。 And what wouldn’t 
I give that he should be alive now; seeing what we’re 
going to see—” but reflecting that the glories of the 

future depended in part upon the activity of her typewriter; 
she bobbed her head; and hurried back to the 
seclusion of her little room; from which immediately issued 
sounds of enthusiastic; but obviously erratic; position。 


Mary made it clear at once; by starting a fresh topic of 
general interest; that though she saw the humor of her 
colleague; she did not intend to have her laughed at。 

“The standard of morality seems to me frightfully low;” 
she observed reflectively; pouring out a second cup of 
tea; “especially among women who aren’t well educated。 
They don’t see that small things matter; and that’s where 
the leakage begins; and then we find ourselves in difficulties—
I very nearly lost my temper yesterday;” she went 
on; looking at Ralph with a little smile; as though he 
knew what happened when she lost her temper。 “It makes 
me very angry when people tell me lies—doesn’t it make 
you angry?” she asked Katharine。 

“But considering that every one tells lies;” Katharine 
remarked; looking about the room to see where she had 
put down her umbrella and her parcel; for there was an 

75 



Night and Day 

intimacy in the way in which Mary and Ralph addressed 
each other which made her wish to leave them。 Mary; on 
the other hand; was anxious; superficially at least; that 
Katharine should stay and so fortify her in her determination 
not to be in love with Ralph。 

Ralph; while lifting his cup from his lips to the table; 
had made up his mind that if Miss Hilbery left; he would 
go with her。 

“I don’t think that I tell lies; and I don’t think that 
Ralph tells lies; do you; Ralph?” Mary continued。 

Katharine laughed; with more gayety; as it seemed to 
Mary; than she could properly account for。 What was she 
laughing at? At them; presumably。 Katharine had risen; 
and was glancing hither and thither; at the presses and 
the cupboards; and all the machinery of the office; as if 
she included them all in her rather malicious amusement; 
which caused Mary to keep her eyes on her straightly and 
rather fiercely; as if she were a gayplumed; mischievous 
bird; who might light on the topmost bough and pick off 
the ruddiest cherry; without any warning。 Two women 
less like each other could scarcely be imagined; Ralph 

thought; looking from one to the other。 Next moment; he 
too; rose; and nodding to Mary; as Katharine said goodbye; 
opened the door for her; and followed her out。 

Mary sat still and made no attempt to prevent them 
from going。 For a second or two after the door had shut 
on them her eyes rested on the door with a straightforward 
fierceness in which; for a moment; a certain degree 
of bewilderment seemed to enter; but; after a brief hesitation; 
she put down her cup and proceeded to clear away 
the teathings。 

The impulse which had driven Ralph to take this action 
was the result of a very swift little piece of reasoning; 
and thus; perhaps; was not quite so much of an impulse 
as it seemed。 It passed through his mind that if he missed 
this chance of talking to Katharine; he would have to 
face an enraged ghost; when he was alone in his room 
again; demanding an explanation of his cowardly indecision。 
It was better; on the whole; to risk present disfiture 
than to waste an evening bandying excuses and 
constructing impossible scenes with this unpromising 
section of himself。 For ever since he had visited the 

76 



Virginia Woolf 

Hilberys he had been much at the mercy of a phantom 
Katharine; who came to him when he sat alone; and answered 
him as he would have her answer; and was always 
beside him to crown those varying triumphs which were 
transacted almost every night; in imaginary scenes; as he 
walked through the lamplit streets home from the office。 
To walk with Katharine in the flesh would either feed 
that phantom with fresh food; which; as all who nourish 
dreams are aware; is a process that bees necessary 
from time to time; or refine it to such a degree of thinness 
that it was scarcely serviceable any longer; and that; 
too; is sometimes a wele change to a dreamer。 And 
all the time Ralph was well aware that the bulk of Katharine 
was not represented in his dreams at all; so that when he 
met her he was bewildered by the fact that she had nothing 
to do with his dream of her。 

When; on reaching the street; Katharine found that Mr。 
Denham proceeded to keep pace by her side; she was 
surprised and; perhaps; a little annoyed。 She; too; had 
her margin of imagination; and tonight her activity in 
this obscure region of the mind required solitude。 If she 

had had her way; she would have walked very fast down 
the Tottenham Court Road; and then sprung into a cab and 
raced swiftly home。 The view she had had of the inside of 
an office was of the nature of a dream to her。 Shut off up 
there; she pared Mrs。 Seal; and Mary Datchet; and Mr。 
Clacton to enchanted people in a bewitched tower; with 
the spiders’ webs looping across the corners of the room; 
and all the tools of the necromancer’s craft at hand; for so 
aloof and unreal and apart from the normal world did they 
seem to her; in the hou

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