The women rose, rather flushed. And the Wirt's black, beetle-like,
broad-shouldered figure went on ignominiously in front, towards the
noise. He opened the door and ushered the four strangers into the
play-room.
Instantly a silence fell, a slight embarrassment came over the company.
The newcomers had a sense of many blond faces looking their way. Then,
the host was bowing to a short, energetic-looking man with large
moustaches, and saying in a low voice: 'Herr Professor, darf ich vorstellen-' The Herr Professor was prompt and energetic. He bowed low to the
English people, smiling, and began to be a comrade at once.
'Nehmen die Herrschaften teil an unserer Unterhaltung?' he said, with a
vigorous suavity, his voice curling up in the question.
The four English people smiled, lounging with an attentive uneasiness
in the middle of the room. Gerald, who was spokesman, said that they
would willingly take part in the entertainment. Gudrun and Ursula,
laughing, excited, felt the eyes of all the men upon them, and they
lifted their heads and looked nowhere, and felt royal.
The Professor announced the names of those present, SANS CEREMONIE.
There was a bowing to the wrong people and to the right people.
Everybody was there, except the man and wife. The two tall,
clear-skinned, athletic daughters of the professor, with their
plain-cut, dark blue blouses and loden skirts, their rather long,
strong necks, their clear blue eyes and carefully banded hair, and
their blushes, bowed and stood back; the three students bowed very low,
in the humble hope of making an impression of extreme good-breeding;
then there was a thin, dark-skinned man with full eyes, an odd
creature, like a child, and like a troll, quick, detached; he bowed
slightly; his companion, a large fair young man, stylishly dressed,
blushed to the eyes and bowed very low.
It was over.
'Herr Loerke was giving us a recitation in the Cologne dialect,' said
the Professor.
'He must forgive us for interrupting him,' said Gerald, 'we should like
very much to hear it.' There was instantly a bowing and an offering of seats. Gudrun and
Ursula, Gerald and Birkin sat in the deep sofas against the wall. The
room was of naked oiled panelling, like the rest of the house. It had a
piano, sofas and chairs, and a couple of tables with books and
magazines. In its complete absence of decoration, save for the big,
blue stove, it was cosy and pleasant.
Herr Loerke was the little man with the boyish figure, and the round,
full, sensitive-looking head, and the quick, full eyes, like a mouse's.
He glanced swiftly from one to the other of the strangers, and held
himself aloof.