Page 642 - women-in-love

two. They all three wanted her to go away. But she sat on in
silence, her soul weeping, throbbing violently, her fingers
twisting her handkerchief.
The others maintained a dead silence, letting the display
of Ursula’s obtrusiveness pass by. Then Gudrun asked, in a
voice that was quite cool and casual, as if resuming a casual
conversation:
‘Was the girl a model?’
‘Nein, sie war kein Modell. Sie war eine kleine Malschul-
erin.’
‘An art-student!’ replied Gudrun.
And how the situation revealed itself to her! She saw
the girl art-student, unformed and of pernicious reckless-
ness, too young, her straight flaxen hair cut short, hanging
just into her neck, curving inwards slightly, because it was
rather thick; and Loerke, the well-known master-sculptor,
and the girl, probably well-brought-up, and of good family,
thinking herself so great to be his mistress. Oh how well she
knew the common callousness of it all. Dresden, Paris, or
London, what did it matter? She knew it.
‘Where is she now?’ Ursula asked.
Loerke raised his shoulders, to convey his complete ig-
norance and indifference.
‘That is already six years ago,’ he said; ‘she will be twenty-
three years old, no more good.’
Gerald had picked up the picture and was looking at it.
It attracted him also. He saw on the pedestal, that the piece
was called ‘Lady Godiva.’
‘But this isn’t Lady Godiva,’ he said, smiling good-hu-

642 Women in Love