166
FRÁŇA ŠRÁMEK
LOSHAN: Ah, indeed. Yes, the young lady was looking out of the window. (Drinks Lidka in with his eyes; from this moment his glances move continually in her direction and hold her with a peculiar kind of magnetism.)
JENIK: Why didn't you come up?
LOSHAN: Oh, I managed to work off my constitutional at the same time like that. Besides, I—had—nothing—important to come for. I wanted you to let me have (as if embarrassed for a moment); yes, I wanted Hamsum's "Pan."
JENIK: I think I can oblige you. Wait a bit, I'll just look. (Goes into his room.)
LOSHAN: I ought to be grateful to the young lady for relieving me from my long vigil . . .
LIDKA (gives a start when Loshan addresses her; her eyes assume a troubled and restless look): Yes, I thought at once, when you kept looking up at the window—
LOSHAN (with a quick glance in the direction of Mrs. Ledynska, who is taking the plates into the kitchen; then to Lidka, effectively muffling his voice): Yes, I did look. I had to look, just as we have to look when we are walking through a field and a sky-lark begins to sing above our heads. Ah, that's how it was: a sky-lark began to sing. I sought it with my eyes. . . I've never seen you before,—I suppose you never go out anywhere. . . That's how
