TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

lights, lights, as they came into the house, staring
about him with his face quite stiff. But, good
heavens, he said to himself, putting his hand to
his tie, I must not make a fool of myself.)

15

"Yes," said Prue, in her considering way,
answering her mother's question, " I think Nancy
did go with them,"

16

Well then, Nancy had gone with them, Mrs.
Ramsay supposed, wondering, as she put down a
brush, took up a comb, and said " Come in " to
a tap at the door (Jasper and Rose came in),
whether the fact that Nancy was with them made
it less likely or more likely that anything would
happen; it made it less likely, somehow, Mrs.
Ramsay felt, very irrationally, except that after all
holocaust on such a scale was not probable. They
could not all be drowned. And again she felt
alone in the presence of her old antagonist, life.

Jasper and Rose said that Mildred wanted to
know whether she should wait dinner.

" Not for the Queen of England," said Mrs.
Ramsay emphatically,
124