Волны

           Ourfriends,howseldomvisited,howlittleknown--itistrue;andyet,whenImeetanunknownperson,andtrytobreakoff,hereatthistable,whatIcall"mylife",itisnotonelifethatIlookbackupon;Iamnotoneperson;Iammanypeople;IdonotaltogetherknowwhoIam--Jinny,Susan,Neville,Rhoda,orLouis;orhowtodistinguishmylifefromtheirs.

           ’SoIthoughtthatnightinearlyautumnwhenwecametogetheranddinedoncemoreatHamptonCourt.Ourdiscomfortwasatfirstconsiderable,foreachbythattimewascommittedtoastatement,andtheotherpersoncomingalongtheroadtothemeeting-placedressedlikethisorthat,withastickorwithout,seemedtocontradictit.IsawJinnylookatSusan’searthyfingersandthenhideherown;I,consideringNeville,soneatandexact,feltthenebulosityofmyownlifeblurredwithallthesephrases.Hethenboasted,becausehewasashamedofoneroomandonepersonandhisownsuccess.LouisandRhoda,theconspirators,thespiesattable,whotakenotes,felt,"Afterall,Bernardcanmakethewaiterfetchusrolls--acontactdeniedus."Wesawforamomentlaidoutamongusthebodyofthecompletehumanbeingwhomwehavefailedtobe,butatthesametime,cannotforget.Allthatwemighthavebeenwesaw;allthatwehadmissed,andwegrudgedforamomenttheother’sclaim,aschildrenwhenthecakeiscut,theonecake,theonlycake,watchtheirslicediminishing.

           ’However,wehadourbottleofwine,andunderthatseductionlostourenmity,andstoppedcomparing.