‘harder than I have ever beat anything in my life. I had to, I had to. It was the only way I got the work done.’

Gudrun watched him with large, dark-filled eyes, for some moments. She seemed to be considering his very soul. Then she looked down, in silence.

‘Why did you have such a young Godiva then?’ asked Gerald. ‘She is so small, besides, on the horse — not big enough for it — such a child.’

A queer spasm went over Loerke’s face.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I don’t like them any bigger, any older. Then they are beautiful, at sixteen, seventeen, eighteen — after that, they are no use to me.’

There was a moment’s