“How clever you are,” said Daimon admiringly. “Girl, you ought to settle down.” She stood up and became red and confused. “Don’t be frightened now,” said Daimon. “Here’s the comrade you like.”
“Yes, I like him,” she said simply, and went over and closed the window and pulled down the blinds.
The stove threw a pleasant heat into the bright room. “Child, you’ve made everything very nice,” said Daimon, gratified, warming his hands. “I should like to stay here.”
“Please go away,” she cried quickly.
“At once, my dear,” said Daimon, grinning. “I … I feel lonely without people. Look, your friend seems to be struck dumb. Wait, I’ll talk to him.”
She suddenly became angry. “Don’t say anything to him! Let him behave as he wants to!” He raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise. “What? what? You don’t mean to say that you lo—”
“What’s that to do with you?” she interrupted him, her eyes flashing. “Who wants you here?”
He laughed quietly, leaning against the stove. “If you knew how that suits you! Girl, girl, has it really at last happened seriously to you? Show me!” He tried to take hold of her chin. She drew back, pale with rage, showing her teeth.
“What? You even want to bite? Who were you with yesterday, that you are so—Aha! I know. Rosso, eh?”
“That’s not true,” she cried with tears in her voice.
“Leave her alone,” said Prokop sternly.
“Well, well, it doesn’t matter,” muttered Daimon. “Anyway, I mustn’t interfere with you, eh? Good night, children.” He stepped back, pressed himself to the wall and before Prokop realized the fact, had disappeared.
Prokop drew a chair up to the crackling stove and stared into the flames without even looking round at the girl. He heard her walking about the room hesitatingly on the tips of her toes, putting something straight. He did not know what she was doing. She was now standing still silently. There is an extraordinary power in flames and flowing water; you stare at them, become bewildered, cease to think, know nothing, and are unable to recollect anything, but before you there is represented everything that has ever happened without form and outside time.
There was the sound of one slipper being thrown down after the other; evidently she was taking her shoes off. Go to sleep, girl, when you are asleep we shall see who it is whom you resemble. Very quietly she crossed the room and then stopped. Again she arranged something. God alone knew why she wanted to have everything so clean and tidy. And suddenly she knelt down in front of him, stretching out her comely arms to his feet. “Shall I take off your boots for you?” she said gently.
He took her head between his palms and turned it towards him. She was beautiful, submissive and extraordinarily serious. “Did you ever know Thomas?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
She reflected and then shook her head.
“Don’t lie! You … you. … Have you a married sister?”
“I haven’t!” She tore herself sharply out of his grasp. “Why should I lie? I’ll tell you everything deliberately so that you shall know—I’m a fallen girl.” She hid her face against his knees. “They all … so that you shall know—”
“Even Daimon?”
She did not answer but only shivered. “You … you may kick me. … I’m … don’t touch me. … I’m … if you knew. …” She was unable to go on.
“Leave that,” he cried in pain and raised her head by force. Her eyes were wide open with desperation and anxiety. He let go her head again and moaned. The resemblance was so striking that he gulped with horror. “Be quiet, at least be quiet,” he said in a strangled voice.
She again pressed her face against him. “Let me. … I must tell you everything. … I began when I was thir … thirteen. …” He covered her mouth with his hands; she bit it and continued her terrible confession through his fingers. “Be quiet,” he cried, but the words tore themselves out of her, her teeth chattered, she trembled and went on. Somehow he managed to silence her. “Oh,” she moaned, “if you knew … the things that people do! And everyone, everyone is so rough with me … as if I was … not even an animal, not even a stone!”
“Stop,” he said, beside himself, and, not knowing what to do, smoothed her head with the trembling stumps of his fingers. Appeased, she sighed and became motionless; he could feel her hot breath and the beat of the artery in her neck.
She began to giggle quietly. “You thought that I was sleeping, there, in the car. I wasn’t asleep, I did it on purpose … and expected you to behave … like the others. Because you knew the sort of thing I was … and … you only became angry and held me as if I were a little girl … as if I were something sacred. …” Although she was laughing, tears suddenly came into her eyes. “Suddenly—I don’t know why—I was more happy than I had ever been—and proud—and frightfully ashamed, but … it was so beautiful—” With trembling lips she kissed his knees. “You … you didn’t even wake me up … and laid me down … as if I were something precious … and covered my legs, and said nothing—” She burst into tears. “I’ll, I’ll wait on you, let me. … I’ll take your boots off. … Please, please don’t be angry that I pretended that I was asleep! Please—”
He wanted to raise her head; she kissed his hands. “For God’s sake, don’t cry!” he gulped out.
She drew herself up, surprised, and stopped crying. “Why are you reproaching me?” He tried to raise her face; she defended herself with all her strength and entwined herself round his legs. “No, no, no,” she gasped, laughing, and at the same time frightened. “I’m plain—I’ve been crying. You, you wouldn’t like me,” she breathed gently hiding her face. “It was so long … before you came! I’ll wait on you and write your
