Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/9

 METROPOLIS touch her, though she stood so defenceless, among the grey infant-phantoms, Her eyes rested perpetually on FredeI'. Then she took her eyes from his and, stooping a little, took the children's hands again, ,turned and led the procession out. The door swung to behind her; the servants disappeared with many apologies for not having been able to prevent the occurrence. All was emptiness and silence. Had not each of those before whom the girl had appeared, with her grey procession of children, so large a number of witnesses to the event they would have been inclined to put it down to hallucination. Near Freder, upon the illuminated mosaic Boor, cowered the little drink-mixer, sobbing uncontrolledly. With a leisurely movement, Ff&Ier bent towards her and suddenly twitched the mask, the narrow black 'mask, from her eyes. the drink~mixer shrieked out as though. overtaken in stark nudity. Her hands flew up, clutching, and remained hanging stiffiy in the air. A little painted face stared, horror-stricken at the man. The eyes, thus exposed, were senseless, quite empty. The little face from which the charm of the mask had been taken away, was quite weird. Freder dropped the black piece of stuff. The drink-mixer pounced quickly upon it, hiding her face. Freder looked , around him. The Eternal Gardens scintillated. The beautiful beings in it, even if, temporarily, thrown out of balance, shone in their well-cared-forness, their cleanly abundance. The odour of freshness, 'which pervaded everywhere, was like the breath of a dewy garden. FredeI' looked down at himself. He wore, as all the youths in the "House of the Sons," the white silk, which they wore but once-the soft, supple shoes, with the noiseless soles. He looked at his friends. He saw these beings who never wearied, unless from sport-who never sweated, unless from sport-who were never out of breath, unless from sport. Beings requiring their joyous games in order that their food

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