Kew Gardens (short story)

Originally accompanying illustrations by Vanessa Bell, its visual organisation has been described as analogous to a Post-Impressionist painting.

Set in the eponymous botanic garden in London on a hot July day, the narrative gives brief glimpses of four groups of people as they pass by a flowerbed.

Again Woolf centres the apparent randomness of the decision on the flitting of a dragonfly, which if it stops would indicate that Lily would say 'yes', but instead it kept whirling around and around in the air.

The woman who became Simon's wife, Eleanor, has a different memory of the gardens, a much earlier one, when she and other little girls sat near the lake with their easels, painting pictures of the water lilies.

He then appears to mistake a woman for someone in his thoughts, and prepares to run off to her, but is apprehended by William who distracts the older man by pointing out a flower.

They are fascinated by the old man's actions, but they cannot determine if he has mental health problems or is simply eccentric.

The narrator recounts apparently isolated words and phrases: "he says, she says, I says", "Sugar, flour, kippers, greens".

Woolf's narrative now dissolves the snatches of conversation into flashes of colour, shape and movement, wordless voices of contentment, passion, and desire.