Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/109

 METROPOLIS Now it was racing towards the sun, now it was tuming its back upon it. The young girl had never seen so wild und unruly a creature in the air before. Now it had swung westwards and was dashing in long, spurting bounds along the sky. Something freed itself from it; a broad, silver-grey cloth, which swelled itself out. Drifted hither and thither by the wind, the silver-grey cloth Buttered down to earth-in the webs of which a gigantic, black spider seemed to be hanging. Screaming, the young girl began to run. The great, black spider spun itself lower and lower on the thin cords. Now it was already like a human being. A white, death-like face bent earthwards. The earth curved itself gently towards the sinking creature. The man left go of the cord and leaped. And fell. Picked himself up again. And fell once more. Like a snow-cloud, gentle and shimmering, the silver-grey cloth sank over him. quite covering him. The young girl came running up. She was still screaming, wordlessly, breathlessly. as though these primitive shrieks were her actual language. She bundled the silver silken cloth up before her young breast with both arms in order to bring the man who lay beneath it into the light again. Yes, he lay there now. stretched out at his length on his back, and the silk which was so strong as to have borne him tore under the grip of his fingers. And where his fingers lost hold of the silk, to find another patch which they could tear. there remained moist, red marks upon the stuff, such as are left behind by an animal that had dipped its paws into the blood of its enemy. The girl was silenC'ed by the sight of these marks. An expression of horror came into her face, but, at the same time, an expression such as mother~heasts have when they scent an enemy and do not want to betray themselves nor their offspring in any way. She clenched her teeth together so forcibly thnt her young mouth became quite pale and thin. She knelt down beside the young man and lifted his head into her lap. The eyes opened in the white face which she was holding.

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