TO THE LIGHTHOUSEbegan turning from one to the other and laughingand drawing Minta's wrap round her and saying sheonly wished she could come too, and would they bevery late, and had any of them got a watch?
‘Yes, Paul has,’ said Minta. Paul slipped a beautifulgold watch out of a little wash-leather case to showher. And as he held it in the palm of his hand beforeher, he felt ‘She knows all about it. I need not sayanything.’ He was saying to her as he showed her thewatch, ‘I’ve done it, Mrs. Ramsay. I owe it all toyou.’ And seeing the gold watch lying in his hand,Mrs. Ramsay felt, How extraordinarily lucky Mintais! She is marrying a man who has a gold watch in awash-leather bag!
‘How I wish I could come with you!’ she cried. Butshe was withheld by something so strong that shenever even thought of asking herself what it was. Ofcourse it was impossible for her to go with them. Butshe would have liked to go, had it not been for theother thing, and tickled by the absurdity of herthought (how lucky to marry a man with a wash-lea-ther bag for his watch) she went with a smile on herlips into the other room, where her husband satreading.19Of course, she said to herself, coming into the room,she had to come here to get something she wanted.First she wanted to sit down in a particular chairunder a particular lamp. But she wanted somethingmore, though she did not know, could not think whatit was that she wanted. She looked at her husband(taking up her stocking and beginning to knit), and138