To The Lighthouse Read online

  A Project Gutenberg of Australia Etext

  Title: To the Lighthouse

  Author: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

  Etext No.: 0100101.txt

  Edition: 1

  Language: English

  This etext was produced by Col Choat [email protected]

  Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, eg 0100012.txt

  VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, eg 0100011a.txt

  Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check

  the laws for your country before redistributing these files!!!

  Please take a look at the important information in this header.

  We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an

  electronic path open for the next readers.

  Please do not remove this. This should be the first thing seen when

  anyone opens the book. Do not change or edit it without written

  permission. The words are carefully chosen to provide users with

  the information they need about what they can legally do with the

  texts.

  **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**

  **Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**

  *****These Etexts Are Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****

  Project Gutenberg of Australia Etexts are usually created from multiple

  editions, all of which are in the Public Domain in Australia, unless a

  copyright notice is included. Therefore, we usually do NOT keep any

  of these books in compliance with any particular paper edition.

  Most people start at our main US sites at:

  http://gutenberg.net

  http://promo.net/pg

  It takes us, at a rather conservative estimate, fifty hours to

  get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright

  searched and analyzed.

  The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext

  Files by December 31, 2001. [10,000 x 100,000,000 = 1 Trillion]

  This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers,

  which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users.

  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation in the United

  States has been created to secure a future for Project Gutenberg

  into the next millennium. International donations are accepted,

  but we don't know ANYTHING about how to make them tax-deductible,

  or even if they CAN be made deductible, and don't have the staff

  to handle it even if there are ways.

  All donations should be made to:

  Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

  PMB 113

  1739 University Ave.

  Oxford, MS 38655-4109 USA

  ***

  If you can't reach Project Gutenberg,

  you can always email directly to:

  Michael S. Hart

  Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message.

  We would prefer to send you information by email.

  ***

  **The Legal Small Print**

  (Three Pages)

  ***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS**START***

  Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers.

  They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with

  your copy of this etext, even if you got it for free from

  someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our

  fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement

  disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how

  you may distribute copies of this etext if you want to.

  *BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS ETEXT

  By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm

  etext, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept

  this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive

  a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this etext by

  sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person

  you got it from. If you received this etext on a physical

  medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request.

  ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM ETEXTS

  This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext is in the "public domain" in Australia

  Among other things, this means that, in Australia, no one owns a copyright

  on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and distribute it

  in Australia without permission and without paying copyright royalties.

  Special rules, set forth below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute

  this etext under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark.

  Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market

  any commercial products without permission.

  To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable

  efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain

  works. Despite these efforts, the Project's etexts and any

  medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other

  things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or

  corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other

  intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged

  disk or other etext medium, a computer virus, or computer

  codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

  LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES

  But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below,

  [1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may

  receive this etext from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext) disclaims

  all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including

  legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR

  UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT,

  INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE

  OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE

  POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

  If you discover a Defect in this etext within 90 days of

  receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any)

  you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that

  time to the person you received it from. If you received it

  on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and

  such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement

  copy. If you received it electronically, such person may

  choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to

  receive it electronically.

  THIS ETEXT IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER

  WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS

  TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT

  LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A

  PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

  INDEMNITY

  You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation,

  and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated

  with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm

  texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including

  legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the

  following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this etext,

  [2] alteration, modification, or ad
dition to the etext,

  or [3] any Defect.

  DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm"

  You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by

  disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this

  "Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg,

  or:

  [1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this

  requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the

  etext or this "small print!" statement. You may however,

  if you wish, distribute this etext in machine readable

  binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form,

  including any form resulting from conversion by word

  processing or hypertext software, but only so long as

  *EITHER*:

  [*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and

  does *not* contain characters other than those

  intended by the author of the work, although tilde

  (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may

  be used to convey punctuation intended by the

  author, and additional characters may be used to

  indicate hypertext links; OR

  [*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at

  no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent

  form by the program that displays the etext (as is

  the case, for instance, with most word processors);

  OR

  [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at

  no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the

  etext in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC

  or other equivalent proprietary form).

  [2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this

  "Small Print!" statement.

  [3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the

  gross profits you derive calculated using the method you

  already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you

  don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are

  payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation"

  the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were

  legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent

  periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to

  let us know your plans and to work out the details.

  WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO?

  Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of

  public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed

  in machine readable form.

  The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time,

  public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses.

  Money should be paid to the:

  "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."

  If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or

  software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at:

  [email protected]

  *END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.06/12/01*END*

  [Portions of this header are copyright (C) 2001 by Michael S. Hart

  and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.]

  [Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales

  of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or

  software or any other related product without express permission.]

  *****

  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  A Project Gutenberg of Australia Etext

  Title: To the Lighthouse

  Author: Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

  THE WINDOW

  1

  "Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow," said Mrs Ramsay. "But you'll

  have to be up with the lark," she added.

  To her son these words conveyed an extraordinary joy, as if it were

  settled, the expedition were bound to take place, and the wonder to which

  he had looked forward, for years and years it seemed, was, after a night's

  darkness and a day's sail, within touch. Since he belonged, even at the

  age of six, to that great clan which cannot keep this feeling separate

  from that, but must let future prospects, with their joys and sorrows,

  cloud what is actually at hand, since to such people even in earliest

  childhood any turn in the wheel of sensation has the power to crystallise

  and transfix the moment upon which its gloom or radiance rests, James

  Ramsay, sitting on the floor cutting out pictures from the illustrated

  catalogue of the Army and Navy stores, endowed the picture of a

  refrigerator, as his mother spoke, with heavenly bliss. It was fringed

  with joy. The wheelbarrow, the lawnmower, the sound of poplar trees,

  leaves whitening before rain, rooks cawing, brooms knocking, dresses

  rustling--all these were so coloured and distinguished in his mind that he

  had already his private code, his secret language, though he appeared the

  image of stark and uncompromising severity, with his high forehead and his

  fierce blue eyes, impeccably candid and pure, frowning slightly at the

  sight of human frailty, so that his mother, watching him guide his

  scissors neatly round the refrigerator, imagined him all red and ermine on

  the Bench or directing a stern and momentous enterprise in some crisis of

  public affairs.

  "But," said his father, stopping in front of the drawing-room window, "it

  won't be fine."

  Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed

  a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would

  have seized it. Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr Ramsay excited

  in his children's breasts by his mere presence; standing, as now, lean as

  a knife, narrow as the blade of one, grinning sarcastically, not only with

  the pleasure of disillusioning his son and casting ridicule upon his wife,

  who was ten thousand times better in every way than he was

  (James thought), but also with some secret conceit at his own accuracy of

  judgement. What he said was true. It was always true. He was incapable

  of untruth; never tampered with a fact; never altered a disagreeable word

  to suit the pleasure or convenience of any mortal being, least of all of

  his own children, who, sprung from his loins, should be aware from

  childhood that life is difficult; facts uncompromising; and the passage to

  that fabled land where our brightest hopes are extinguished, our frail

  barks founder in darkness (here Mr Ramsay would straighten his back and

  narrow his little blue eyes upon the horizon), one that needs, above all,

  courage, truth, and the power to endure.

  "But it may be fine--I expect it will be fine," said Mrs Ramsay, making

  some little twist of the reddish brown stocking she was knitting,

  impatiently. If she finished it tonight, if they did go to the Lighthouse

  after all, it was to be given to the Lighthouse keeper for his little boy,

  who was threatened with a tuberculous hip; together with a pile of old

  magazines, and some tobacco, indeed, whatever she could find lying about,

  not really wanted, but only littering the room, to give those poor

  fellows, who must b
e bored to death sitting all day with nothing to do but

  polish the lamp and trim the wick and rake about on their scrap of garden,

  something to amuse them. For how would you like to be shut up for a whole

  month at a time, and possibly more in stormy weather, upon a rock the size

  of a tennis lawn? she would ask; and to have no letters or newspapers, and

  to see nobody; if you were married, not to see your wife, not to know how

  your children were,--if they were ill, if they had fallen down and broken

  their legs or arms; to see the same dreary waves breaking week after week,

  and then a dreadful storm coming, and the windows covered with spray, and

  birds dashed against the lamp, and the whole place rocking, and not be

  able to put your nose out of doors for fear of being swept into the sea?

  How would you like that? she asked, addressing herself particularly to her

  daughters. So she added, rather differently, one must take them whatever

  comforts one can.

  "It's due west," said the atheist Tansley, holding his bony fingers spread

  so that the wind blew through them, for he was sharing Mr Ramsay's

  evening walk up and down, up and down the terrace. That is to say, the

  wind blew from the worst possible direction for landing at the Lighthouse.

  Yes, he did say disagreeable things, Mrs Ramsay admitted; it was odious

  of him to rub this in, and make James still more disappointed; but at the

  same time, she would not let them laugh at him. "The atheist," they

  called him; "the little atheist." Rose mocked him; Prue mocked him;

  Andrew, Jasper, Roger mocked him; even old Badger without a tooth in his

  head had bit him, for being (as Nancy put it) the hundred and tenth young

  man to chase them all the way up to the Hebrides when it was ever so much

  nicer to be alone.

  "Nonsense," said Mrs Ramsay, with great severity. Apart from the habit

  of exaggeration which they had from her, and from the implication (which

  was true) that she asked too many people to stay, and had to lodge some in

  the town, she could not bear incivility to her guests, to young men in

  particular, who were poor as churchmice, "exceptionally able," her husband

  said, his great admirers, and come there for a holiday. Indeed, she had

  the whole of the other sex under her protection; for reasons she could not

  explain, for their chivalry and valour, for the fact that they negotiated

  treaties, ruled India, controlled finance; finally for an attitude towards

  herself which no woman could fail to feel or to find agreeable, something

  trustful, childlike, reverential; which an old woman could take from a

  young man without loss of dignity, and woe betide the girl--pray Heaven it

  was none of her daughters!--who did not feel the worth of it, and all

  that it implied, to the marrow of her bones!

  She turned with severity upon Nancy. He had not chased them, she said.

  He had been asked.

  They must find a way out of it all. There might be some simpler way, some

  less laborious way, she sighed. When she looked in the glass and saw her

  hair grey, her cheek sunk, at fifty, she thought, possibly she might have

  managed things better--her husband; money; his books. But for her own

  part she would never for a single second regret her decision, evade

  difficulties, or slur over duties. She was now formidable to behold, and

  it was only in silence, looking up from their plates, after she had spoken

  so severely about Charles Tansley, that her daughters, Prue, Nancy,

  Rose--could sport with infidel ideas which they had brewed for themselves

  of a life different from hers; in Paris, perhaps; a wilder life; not

  always taking care of some man or other; for there was in all their minds

  a mute questioning of deference and chivalry, of the Bank of England and

  the Indian Empire, of ringed fingers and lace, though to them all there

  was something in this of the essence of beauty, which called out the as

  they sat at table beneath their mother's eyes, honour her strange

  severity, her extreme courtesy, like a queen's raising from the mud to