登陆注册
5159000000168

第168章

And how the situation revealed itself to her! She saw the girl art-student, unformed and of pernicious recklessness, 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 ignorance 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-humouredly.`She was the middle-aged wife of some Earl or other, who covered herself with her long hair.'

`A la Maud Allan,' said Gudrun with a mocking grimace.

`Why Maud Allan?' he replied.`Isn't it so? I always thought the legend was that.'

`Yes, Gerald dear, I'm quite sure you've got the legend perfectly.'

She was laughing at him, with a little, mock-caressive contempt.

`To be sure, I'd rather see the woman than the hair,' he laughed in return.

`Wouldn't you just!' mocked Gudrun.

Ursula rose and went away, leaving the three together.

Gudrun took the picture again from Gerald, and sat looking at it closely.

`Of course,' she said, turning to tease Loerke now, `you understood your little Malschulerin.'

He raised his eyebrows and his shoulders in a complacent shrug.

`The little girl?' asked Gerald, pointing to the figure.

Gudrun was sitting with the picture in her lap.She looked up at Gerald, full into his eyes, so that he seemed to be blinded.

` Didn't he understand her!' she said to Gerald, in a slightly mocking, humorous playfulness.`You've only to look at the feet -- aren't they darling, so pretty and tender -- oh, they're really wonderful, they are really --'

She lifted her eyes slowly, with a hot, flaming look into Loerke's eyes.

His soul was filled with her burning recognition, he seemed to grow more uppish and lordly.

Gerald looked at the small, sculptured feet.They were turned together, half covering each other in pathetic shyness and fear.He looked at them a long time, fascinated.Then, in some pain, he put the picture away from him.He felt full of barrenness.

`What was her name?' Gudrun asked Loerke.

`Annette von Weck,' Loerke replied reminiscent.`Ja, sie war hubsch.

She was pretty -- but she was tiresome.She was a nuisance, -- not for a minute would she keep still -- not until I'd slapped her hard and made her cry -- then she'd sit for five minutes.'

He was thinking over the work, his work, the all important to him.

`Did you really slap her?' asked Gudrun, coolly.

He glanced back at her, reading her challenge.

`Yes, I did,' he said, nonchalant, `harder than I have ever beat anything in my life.I had to, I had to.It was the only way I got the work done.'

Gudrun watched him with large, dark-filled eyes, for some moments.She seemed to be considering his very soul.Then she looked down, in silence.

`Why did you have such a young Godiva then?' asked Gerald.`She is so small, besides, on the horse -- not big enough for it -- such a child.'

A queer spasm went over Loerke's face.

`Yes,' he said.`I don't like them any bigger, any older.Then they are beautiful, at sixteen, seventeen, eighteen -- after that, they are no use to me.'

There was a moment's pause.

`Why not?' asked Gerald.

Loerke shrugged his shoulders.

`I don't find them interesting -- or beautiful -- they are no good to me, for my work.'

`Do you mean to say a woman isn't beautiful after she is twenty?' asked Gerald.

`For me, no.Before twenty, she is small and fresh and tender and slight.

After that -- let her be what she likes, she has nothing for me.The Venus of Milo is a bourgeoise -- so are they all.'

`And you don't care for women at all after twenty?' asked Gerald.

`They are no good to me, they are of no use in my art,' Loerke repeated impatiently.`I don't find them beautiful.'

`You are an epicure,' said Gerald, with a slight sarcastic laugh.

`And what about men?' asked Gudrun suddenly.

`Yes, they are good at all ages,' replied Loerke.`A man should be big and powerful -- whether he is old or young is of no account, so he has the size, something of massiveness and -- and stupid form.'

Ursula went out alone into the world of pure, new snow.But the dazzling whiteness seemed to beat upon her till it hurt her, she felt the cold was slowly strangling her soul.Her head felt dazed and numb.

Suddenly she wanted to go away.It occurred to her, like a miracle, that she might go away into another world.She had felt so doomed up here in the eternal snow, as if there were no beyond.

Now suddenly, as by a miracle she remembered that away beyond, below her, lay the dark fruitful earth, that towards the south there were stretches of land dark with orange trees and cypress, grey with olives, that ilex trees lifted wonderful plumy tufts in shadow against a blue sky.Miracle of miracles! -- this utterly silent, frozen world of the mountain-tops was not universal! One might leave it and have done with it.One might go away.

She wanted to realise the miracle at once.She wanted at this instant to have done with the snow-world, the terrible, static ice-built mountain tops.She wanted to see the dark earth, to smell its earthy fecundity, to see the patient wintry vegetation, to feel the sunshine touch a response in the buds.

She went back gladly to the house, full of hope.Birkin was reading, lying in bed.

`Rupert,' she said, bursting in on him.`I want to go away.'

He looked up at her slowly.

`Do you?' he replied mildly.

She sat by him und put her arms round his neck.It surprised her that he was so little surprised.

`Don't you? ' she asked troubled.

`I hadn't thought about it,' he said.`But I'm sure I do.'

同类推荐
  • 正一法文传都功威仪

    正一法文传都功威仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 张畹香医案

    张畹香医案

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 西河词话

    西河词话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 苗宫夜合花

    苗宫夜合花

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 苏氏演义

    苏氏演义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 光头老大

    光头老大

    尹守国,2006年开始小说创作,发表中短篇小说70多万字,作品多次被《新华文摘》、《小说选刊》、《北京文学中篇小说月报》等选载,中国作家协会会员,辽宁省作协签约作家。
  • 阿拉德无尽战意

    阿拉德无尽战意

    万年雪山之上,一条常年盘踞的冰龙缓缓睁开眼睛。天界大海之中一座岛屿表面风平浪静,海底深处方圆全是妖兽的尸骸。一个矮小的老头走进了一座宏伟宫殿,有人在这里等着他的到来……人类的结局最终走向何处,阿拉德的命运是否能够被重新改写,剑气冲天战意无尽……
  • 周氏医女

    周氏医女

    新书“世玺”“九零学霸俏神医”已开,欢迎入坑!…………………………………………………………有着穿越女和古代老实男“混血”基因的林孝珏重生了。可是她不记得自己是谁,只记得自己是姓周的。巧遇上辈子外公的医案,倏然想起和自己同龄的母亲就在附近。于是林孝珏找啊找啊,找啊找啊……路上总于各路奇葩,不怕!周氏医女,通内经,晓仲景,谁不安分,就给他治病喝药。………ps:为天地立心,为生民立命,为往圣继绝学,为万世开太平。
  • 英雄无敌之一个农民的逆袭

    英雄无敌之一个农民的逆袭

    一群宅男穿越到英雄无敌的游戏世界。这是一个龙与巨人制霸,瑰丽而奇幻的魔法世界。
  • 磐石文葩(康式昭文学奖获奖作品集)

    磐石文葩(康式昭文学奖获奖作品集)

    最近一些时日,我随王能宪(中国艺术研究院常务院长)等同志在四川成都、广安、眉山及香港等地,为邓小平同志诞辰110周年举办纪念活动,我俩深感川人的伟大。小平同志能在历史大转折时期,从根深蒂固的极“左”营垒里突出重围,做出改革开放的战略决策,实在显示出巨大的智慧、英明的决断、远大的眼光。
  • 识小编

    识小编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 活不过今夜

    活不过今夜

    不知道什么时候,小区里面来了个要饭的怪老头。很奇怪给他的钱,他不花,居然烧掉或者毁掉,直到有一天楼下的大妈被烧死,卖猪肉的惨死,我才幡然醒悟。原来他不是要饭的,而是要命的!!
  • 等到开放的那一天

    等到开放的那一天

    我常常想,倘若梅杏没有来到我们村,这个世界上会不会有个我?梅杏来我们村的时候,是那年的秋天。深秋。或许已然是初冬了。芦花早就开了,雪白的一片,厚厚地铺在江岸,绵延十几里,远远望去,很是壮观。当一行人在村头出现的时候,天空已经把最后一抹晚霞都收尽了,只剩下一轮夕阳血红血红地挂在西边的天空上,孤孤单单的。那血红血红的样子,仿佛一只注入了苏丹红的鸭蛋黄,看上去有些古怪。而那天看上去也有些古怪的是我们村的人。几乎全村的男女老少都纷纷从家里跑出来,朝着一个地方聚集。仿佛长江涨水的季节,忽然大堤裂了一道口子,江水以不可阻挡之势朝着那个缺口奔涌。
  • 重生嫡妃斗宅门

    重生嫡妃斗宅门

    尹若曦错信佛口蛇心继母、姐妹、渣爹的话,被毁了清白,夺了嫁妆,嫁人为妾。临死前才知道真相,“若有来生,定要让那些人,血债血偿,永生永世,不死不休!”携恨重生,素手抄刀,斗继母,惩嫡妹,灭渣男,溜王爷,手到擒来。渣渣们骂她:心狠手辣,五行缺德,矫揉造作、表里不一白莲花。尹若曦笑,“珍爱生命,严惩渣渣,起阴谋,将其踩在脚下,狠狠践踏!”却不想还是招惹了他他他!那个渣男,她不稀罕。那个禽兽,赶紧滚蛋。那个暖男,滚……等等!他说,“不管你貌美如花,还是丑如如花,没关系,我瞎!”他说,“不管你心狠手辣,还是蛇蝎心肠,没事,我更毒!”他爱她成瘾,宠她成毒。不妄言生死相随,不轻许此生不悔,但他说过的话,都一一实现了。【男强+女强+1V1+双处+爽文+宠文+宝宝】
  • 後鑒錄

    後鑒錄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。