Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/197

 METROPOLIS stood blazing around her as a mantle of nre, was. the loving smile and the wonder of her eyes-and her mouth of deadly sin. which lured among the flames: "Dance with me, my dearestl Dance with me-I"

CHAPTER XXI awoke; but be knew quite well he was dead. And this consciousness filled him with the deepest satisfaction. His aching body no longer had anything to do with him. That was perhaps the last remains of life. But something worried him deeply, as he raised himself up and looked around in all directions: Hel was not there. Hel must be found.... An existence without Hel was over at last. A second onePNol Better than to stay dead. He got up on his feet. That was very difficult. He must have been lying as a corpse for a good long time. It wa~ night. too. A fire was raging out there, and it was all very noise Shrieking of human beings. . . . . Hm. He had hoped to have been rid of them. But, apparently the Almighty Creator could not get along without them. Now-but one purpose. He just wanted his Hel. When he bad found Hel, he would-he promised himself thisl-never again quarrel with the father of all things, about anything at all.... So now he went. . . . The door leading to the street was open and hanging crookedly on its hinges. Strange. He stepped in front of the house and looked deliberatingly around. What he saw seemed to be a kind of Metropolis; btlt a rather insane kind of Metropolis. The houses seemed as though struck still in St. Vitus' dance. And an uncommonly rough and impolite sort of people was ramping around a Haming bonfire, upon which a creature of rare beauty was standing, seeming. to Rotwang, to be wondrously at ease. ROTWANG

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