TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

something. And Cam was not ready and James
was not ready and Nancy had forgotten to order
the sandwiches and Mr. Ramsay had lost his
temper and banged out of the room.

" What's the use of going now? " he had
stormed,

Nancy had vanished. There he was, marching
up and down the terrace in a rage. One seemed
to hear doors slamming and voices calling all over
the house. Now Nancy burst in, and asked,
looking round the room, in a queer half dazed,
half desperate way, " What does one send to
the Lighthouse? " as if she were forcing her-
self to do what she despaired of ever being aKle
to do.

What does one send to the Lighthouse
indeed ! At any other time Lily could have sug-
gested reasonably tea, tobacco, newspapers. But
this morning everything seemed so extra-
ordinarily queer that a question like Nancy's—
What does one send to the Lighthouse?—opened
doors in one's mind that went banging and
swinging to and fro and made one keep asking,
in a stupefied gape, What does one send? What
does one do? Why is one sitting here after
all?

Sitting alone (for Nancy went out again)
among the clean cups at the long table she felt
226