She held up the lantern. It had a flight of storks streaming through a turquoise sky of light, over a dark earth.

‘This is beautiful,’ she said.

‘Lovely,’ echoed Gudrun, who wanted to hold one also, and lift it up full of beauty.

‘Light one for me,’ she said. Gerald stood by her, incapacitated. Birkin lit the lantern she held up. Her heart beat with anxiety, to see how beautiful it would be. It was primrose yellow, with tall straight flowers growing darkly from their dark leaves, lifting their heads into the primrose day, while butterflies hovered about them, in the pure clear light.

Gudrun gave a little cry of excitement, as if pierced with delight.