The Song of Songs

the sun was shining with young imp

fs. Over to the south-west the red evening glow lay spread on the house fronts like gay rugs separated by an oblique line from the shadow of the walls

cy smell of thawing. Even the vapours rising from the gutters, now ru

ee occasions the whole winter, sat behind the c

eedily drew in the breath of coming spring. So she, too, opened the casement wide and gave the door to

f the tenant who lived on the other side of the hall and

swords with sword-knots crossed beneath. She saw China lions serving as cigar holders, ladies in dancing attitudes holding tallow candles, photographs of family groups with peacock feathers stuck behind, a spherical aquarium containing gold

d Lilly's sympathy at

ee and easy fashion, and carried his head boldly erect. His b

them he most resembled. After some wavering she finally decide

elt a warm wave pour over her body, and when he remained away too long by the fraction of a second,

oor to the circulating library with the young lady on the other side observing h

manner. He looked at his book a little too closely and moved his lips

presented. She smoothed her hair, which she wore parted Madonna fashi

resses, put an end to this dual posing. On leaving they c

ied the vision of the n

ome time before the evening meal. The next morning, however, she seemed to be in a gracious humour, and Li

ghbours to you, M

rse that had developed from t

stomer who had asked about the neighbours the day befo

ess respect for the customers' wish

f greater aristocracy both of mind and heart, could not, of course, associate. The man, a s

d lilac tie, the sheen of which had been

n continued, if one knew they considered potato soup with sliced sausage in it a fe

not quite sympathise with this statement. On the contrary, she felt her mouth watering, and in o

ut there's a son. He goes to high school. I don

elect, because genius shines in his eyes, becaus

had turned bitter cold, and the idea of friend

udying the oval door plat

Red

e rin

because her legs were depending from her body like icicles

urned from school. Holding her forehead pressed against the window-pane, she could recognis

ind the curtain, and in a joyous tremour caught the shamed, sidelong glance he sent h

es his entered the house. They belonge

these young souls who were going to storm the world, and when they se

one," the "stylish one" and the "wireless one." She could also recognise their walk and the manner in which they rang the bell at the opposite door. Even if occupied with customers, she could tell

n occasionally to sit on the front porch, wher

ile chatting, and now and then He would lean over the raili

gly contrived an observatory for herself by removing a number of books, and fr

nerally remained unoccupied, because Mrs. Asmussen, to whom this side belonged, preferred not to d

ly could hear the distant plashing of the fountain in the market-place, when the only stir was created by swallows darting hither and thither, she could n

was not in the habit of rem

bound to pass h

r of an hour. Finally she saw a blue and white cap com

rary with all possible speed. But she was

er, he raised his

ught gl

e bowed

himself on the bench belonging to his side of the house, toyed with pe

ing her embroidery, and every now and then fetching a little sigh, not

was beginning to lose all hope of a rapprochement,

elieve, is soon goin

lied in his words her chance of at last becoming acquainted with him would certainly be lost, and s

utt

m,

the conversation would have come to a standstill without

ours, aren't w

f his cap describing a semicircle between

myself. Fritz Redlich, s

he Selecta and the last year class of the boys' high school was mentioned. The fact was suddenly borne

that her glorious past was

last autumn," she said, "and I

he asked

n who had fluttered about her at the skat

ly sincere. "They loaf too much for fellows like us, and they're

ce en

only the outline of his figure as he idly le

remained there forever with the dark youthful form before he

e in the circulating

m for the elegant word "engaged," which

for the examinations?

hing goes well," he

with the rapt expression that girls adopt in compositions. "G

"Aren't you fighting your

rst out

," she cried, "wha

new a gleam of triumph was flashing in her eyes, a gleam which coul

was. She would have gone mad had she been compelled to stay the

ove

ran up and down the narrow aisles between the cases, laughing and sighing, raising her ar

chords, welled up within her. She wanted to sing the

palpitated through her childhood, without conveying any meaning to her

im whom my

m, but I fo

lled

ave me n

at went about t

me, they

e walls took away

through the window. But when she peeped from her observatory to convi

re open her tight-fitting dress to exp

rs seized her; she felt the smart of the wound which rude hands caused her; she felt how the veil was being torn away which concealed from the eyes of the world the holy nake

e on its edge, wept bitterly in sweet dark sympathy with that

s was sheer