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TO THE LIGHTHOUSEWith all those legs and arms why doesn’t one ofyou . . . ?" So they would talk as usual, laughing,among the children. All would be as usual, save onlyfor some quiver, as of a blade in the air, whichcame and went between them as if the usual sightof the children sitting round their soup plates hadfreshened itself in their eyes after that hour amongthe pears and the cabbages. Especially, Lily thought,Mrs. Ramsay would glance at Prue. She sat in themiddle between brothers and sisters, always occu-pied, it seemed, seeing that nothing went wrong sothat she scarcely spoke herself. How Prue must haveblamed herself for that earwig in the milk! Howwhite she had gone when Mr. Ramsay threw hisplate through the window! How she drooped underthose long silences between them! Anyhow, hermother now would seem to be making it up to her;assuring her that everything was well; promisingher that one of these days that same happinesswould be hers. She had enjoyed it for less than ayear, however.

She had let the flowers fall from her basket, Lilythought, screwing up her eyes and standing backas if to look at her picture, which she was not touch-ing, however, with all her faculties in a trance,frozen over superficially but moving underneathwith extreme speed.298