Page 611 - women-in-love

led them, laughing, with one of the Professor’s daughters.
Ursula danced with one of the students, Birkin with the
other daughter of the Professor, the Professor with Frau
Kramer, and the rest of the men danced together, with quite
as much zest as if they had had women partners.
Because Gudrun had danced with the well-built, soft
youth, his companion, Loerke, was more pettish and exas-
perated than ever, and would not even notice her existence
in the room. This piqued her, but she made up to herself by
dancing with the Professor, who was strong as a mature,
well-seasoned bull, and as full of coarse energy. She could
not bear him, critically, and yet she enjoyed being rushed
through the dance, and tossed up into the air, on his coarse,
powerful impetus. The Professor enjoyed it too, he eyed her
with strange, large blue eyes, full of galvanic fire. She hated
him for the seasoned, semi-paternal animalism with which
he regarded her, but she admired his weight of strength.
The room was charged with excitement and strong, ani-
mal emotion. Loerke was kept away from Gudrun, to whom
he wanted to speak, as by a hedge of thorns, and he felt a
sardonic ruthless hatred for this young love-companion,
Leitner, who was his penniless dependent. He mocked the
youth, with an acid ridicule, that made Leitner red in the
face and impotent with resentment.
Gerald, who had now got the dance perfectly, was danc-
ing again with the younger of the Professor’s daughters,
who was almost dying of virgin excitement, because she
thought Gerald so handsome, so superb. He had her in his
power, as if she were a palpitating bird, a fluttering, flush-

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