Sisters

　　URSULA AND GUDRUN Brangwen sat one morning in the window-bay of their father's house in Beldover, working and talking. Ursula was stitching a piece of brightly-coloured embroidery, and Gudrun was drawing upon a board which she held on her knee. They were mostly silent, talking as their thoughts strayed through their minds.

　　`Ursula,' said Gudrun, `don't you really want to get married？' Ursula laid her embroidery in her lap and looked up. Her face was calm and considerate.

　　`I don't know,' she replied. `It depends how you mean.'

　　Gudrun was slightly taken aback. She watched her sister for some moments.

　　`Well,' she said, ironically, `it usually means one thing！ But don't you think anyhow, you'd be ——' she darkened slightly —— `in a better position than you are in now.'

　　A shadow came over Ursula's face.

　　`I might,' she said. `But I'm not sure.'

　　Again Gudrun paused, slightly irritated. She wanted to be quite definite.

　　`You don't think one needs the experience of having been married？' she asked.

　　`Do you think it need be an experience？' replied Ursula.

　　`Bound to be, in some way or other,' said Gudrun, coolly. `Possibly undesirable, but bound to be an experience of some sort.'

　　`Not really,' said Ursula. `More likely to be the end of experience.'

　　Gudrun sat very still, to attend to this.

　　`Of course,' she said, `there's that to consider.' This brought the conversation to a close. Gudrun, almost angrily, took up her rubber and began to rub out part of her drawing. Ursula stitched absorbedly.

　　`You wouldn't consider a good offer？' asked Gudrun.

　　`I think I've rejected several,' said Ursula.

　　`Really！' Gudrun flushed dark —— `But anything really worth while？ Have you really？'

　　`A thousand a year, and an awfully nice man. I liked him awfully,' said Ursula.

　　`Really！ But weren't you fearfully tempted？'

　　`In the abstract but not in the concrete,' said Ursula. `When it comes to the point, one isn't even tempted —— oh, if I were tempted, I'd marry like a shot. I'm only tempted not to.' The faces of both sisters suddenly lit up with amusement.