RELATIONS OF DOMINANCE AND EQUALITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE

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was just his. If he turned even a hair's breath
in the wrong direction, he would lose the power
(ibid - My underlining).
Furthermore, the way he asks Banford to go away from the fence
sounds like a challenge.
He knows that Banford will not obey
him. She will stay where she is: "The tone of his voice seemed
to her to imply that he was only being falsely solicitous, and
trying to make her move because it was his will to move her"
(ibid). Then it is done. Banford does not move following her
father's judgement - he disagrees with Henry about where the
safe place to stand is.
Thus she rejects Henry's (insincere)
warning.
The tree falls on Banford's head, proving the
premonition of March's dream.
This murder is not perceived by
anybody though there are three eye-witnesses:March and Banford's
parents:
No one saw [Banford] flung outwards and laid,
a little twitching heap, at the foot of the
fence. No one except the boy. And he watched
with intense bright eyes, as he would watch
a wild goose he had shot. Was it winged or
dead? Dead! (p.152).
Henry's behaviour is like that of a professional murderer.
He
simply says, as cold as ice: "'I'm afraid it's killed her'"
(ibid) as if he had nothing to do with the death.
After this scene of cruelty Lawrence simply points out
that "[Henry] had won" (p.153) as if the story itself had been
a way to praise the male supremacy. But it is not. And Lawrence
himself is not so sure of this so-called supremacy, otherwise
he would simply end his story here:
He never moved, but looked down on her. And
among all the torture of his own heart and
bowels, he was glad, he had won.
After a long time he stooped to her and
took her hands.
'Don't cry,' he said softly. 'Don't cry.'