Page 602 - women-in-love

‘He must forgive us for interrupting him,’ said Gerald,
‘we should like very much to hear it.’
There was instantly a bowing and an offering of seats.
Gudrun and Ursula, Gerald and Birkin sat in the deep so-
fas against the wall. The room was of naked oiled panelling,
like the rest of the house. It had a piano, sofas and chairs,
and a couple of tables with books and magazines. In its
complete absence of decoration, save for the big, blue stove,
it was cosy and pleasant.
Herr Loerke was the little man with the boyish figure,
and the round, full, sensitive-looking head, and the quick,
full eyes, like a mouse’s. He glanced swiftly from one to the
other of the strangers, and held himself aloof.
‘Please go on with the recitation,’ said the Professor,
suavely, with his slight authority. Loerke, who was sitting
hunched on the piano stool, blinked and did not answer.
‘It would be a great pleasure,’ said Ursula, who had been
getting the sentence ready, in German, for some minutes.
Then, suddenly, the small, unresponding man swung
aside, towards his previous audience and broke forth, ex-
actly as he had broken off; in a controlled, mocking voice,
giving an imitation of a quarrel between an old Cologne
woman and a railway guard.
His body was slight and unformed, like a boy’s, but his
voice was mature, sardonic, its movement had the flex-
ibility of essential energy, and of a mocking penetrating
understanding. Gudrun could not understand a word of
his monologue, but she was spell-bound, watching him. He
must be an artist, nobody else could have such fine adjust-

602 Women in Love