Page:Karl Gjellerup - Minna, A novel - 1913.djvu/208

 mind to insert a "suddenly." "You have come suddenly to Dresden." And in recovering her self-control she looked at him steadily for the first time. "In the letter you sent me a fortnight ago you said nothing about it."

In Germany it is not so unusual as it is in Denmark for young girls and young men—brothers' friends, distant relations, or even acquaintances—to call one another by their Christian names; and therefore Minna could not feel that Stephensen, by still taking advantage of this privilege after she was engaged to a countryman of his, meant to emphasise to me the nature of their intimacy and to equalise our positions.

She turned and began to walk slowly back towards the steps. We accompanied her, one on each side. It was evident that Stephensen was annoyed that this letter was mentioned in my presence, and his annoyance was the greater because I assumed a defiant air, as much as to say, "Indeed, sir, I know quite well your beautiful Heine effusions."

"Quite right," he said. "I got the order after I had written. I have come to copy Correggio's Magdalene. I suppose you remember the copy of it I made a couple of years ago, Minna; you were kind enough to take an interest in it, and to come and watch me at work"—here he smirked under his moustache with a vain and insinuating smile which made my blood boil. "I, at any rate, have not been able to forget the pleasant hours we used to spend together in the gallery." He glanced up in the air with a vague far-away look, and paused so that Minna might have an opportunity to agree with what he had said. But, as she continued to look silently at the ground, he proceeded in a lighter tone—

"As I think I wrote to you, I sold that picture to a