Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/8

 METROPOLIS reason, only because they were young and care-free, to join in'the cheerful sound. Like a joyously ringing rainbow, peal upon peal of laughter arched itself gaily above the young people. Then suddenly-suddenly-Freder turned his head. His hands, which were resting on the hips of the drink-mixer, lost hold of her, dropping down by his sides as if dead. The laughter ceased, not one of the friends moved. Not one of the little, brocaded, bare-limbed women moved hand or foot. They stood and looked. The door of the Eternal Gardens had opened and through the door came a procession of children. They were all bolding hands. They had dwarves' faces, grey and ancient. They were little ghost-like skeletons, covered with faded rags and smocks. They had colourless hair and colourless eyes. They walked on emaciated bare feet. Noiselessly they followed their leader. Their leader was a girl. The austere countenance of the Virgin. The sweet countenance of the mother. She held a skinny child by each hand. Now she stood still. regarding the young men and women one after another, with the deadly severity of purity. She was quite maid and mistress. inviolability-and was. tpo, graciousness itself, her beautiful brow in the diadem of goodness; her voice, pity; every word a song. She released the children and stretched fQrward her hand,. motioning towards the friends and saying to the children: «Lo!>k, these are your brothers'" And. motioning towards the children. she said to the friends: «Look, these are your brothers'" She waited. She stood still and her gaze rested upon Freder. . Then the servants came. the door-keepers came. Between these walls of marble and glass, under the opal dome of the Eternal Gardens, there reigned, for a short time, an unprecedented confusion of noise, indignation and embarrassment. The girl appeared still to be waiting. Nobody dared to

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