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.
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