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134 TO THE LIGHTHOUSEquickly took her own shawl off and wound it roundthe skull, round and round and round, and then shecame back to Cam and laid her head almost flat onthe pillow beside Cam’s and said how lovely it lookednow; how the fairies would love it; it was like a bird’snest; it was like a beautiful mountain such as she hadseen abroad, with valleys and flowers and bells ring-ing and birds singing and little goats and antelopes.. . . She could see the words echoing as she spokethem rhythmically in Cam’s mind, and Cam was re-peating after her how it was like a mountain, a bird’snest, a garden, and there were little antelopes, andher eyes were opening and shutting, and Mrs Ramsaywent on saying still more monotonously, and morerhythmically and more nonsensically, how she mustshut her eyes and go to sleep and dream of mountainsand valleys and stars falling and parrots and ante-lopes and gardens, and everything lovely, she said,raising her head very slowly and speaking more andmore mechanically, until she sat upright and sawthat Cam was asleep.

Now, she whispered, crossing over to his bed,James must go to sleep too, for see, she said, theboar’s skull was still there; they had not touched it;they had done just what he wanted; it was therequite unhurt. He made sure that the skull was stillthere under the shawl. But he wanted to ask hersomething more. Would they go to the Lighthouseto-morrow?

No, not to-morrow, she said, but soon, she pro-mised him; the next fine day. He was very good.He lay down. She covered him up. But he wouldnever forget, she knew, and she felt angry with