Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/185

 METROPOLIS Freder stood bending over her with lowered eyes. The Barnes of the huge fire glowed upon his handsome, open face, which wore an expression of shame and sadness. But when he raised his glance to meet Maria's eyes, which were silently fixed upon him, without saying a word he took her hands and pressed them against his eyelids, remaining thus for a long time. And an this while they .both forgot that, on the other sid. of the wall which was protecting them, a city was throbbing in grisly conflict, and that ron..ong the ruins thousands of beings, themselves but ruins, hurled hither and thither, were losing their reason, and perishing, tortured by deadly fear. The voice of the Archangel Michael, coming from the cathedral, recalled them to consciousnses of the hour, and they parted huniedly, as if caught neglecting their duty. Maria listened to the man's retreating step.... Then she turned and looked about her. . What a strange sound the Michael ben had. , . . The ben was calling so furiously-so agitatedly, as though to tumble over at every peal. ... Maria's heart became an echo of the bell. It :fluttered in its piteous fear, which had no source other than the general vibration of terror above the town. Even the warming £lames of the fire frightened her, as if they had some knowledge of secrets of Honor. She. sat up and put her feet to the ground, She felt tbe hem of her dress. It was still rather wet but she would go now, She took a few steps through the dimly-lighted room. How brown the air was outside the windows. .' . . She hesitatingly opened the nearest door and listened. ... She was standing in the room in which she had stood on the aay when she saw Freder for the first time, when she had led 'the train of little, grey child-spectres to those who were careMfree and joyous-when she had called to Freder's heart with her gentle: «Look, these are your brothers'" But of all the dearly beloved sons of boundlessly wealthy fathers, to whom this house belonged, not one was to be seen. They must h~ve left the ,tottering town long ago.

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