“Oh, serious. Shall I? Shall Gudrun and I rush in along with you?”
“Do by all means,” said Birkin. “I didn’t know you’d got that length.”
“What length?” said Gerald, looking at the other man, and laughing.
“Oh yes, we’ve gone all the lengths.”
“There remains to put it on a broad social basis, and to achieve a high moral purpose,” said Birkin.
“Something like that: the length and breadth and height of it,” replied Gerald, smiling.
“Oh well,” said Birkin, “it’s a very admirable step to take, I should say.”
Gerald looked at him closely.
“Why aren’t you enthusiastic?” he asked. “I thought you were such dead nuts on marriage.”
Birkin lifted his shoulders.