Indeed, to one only partially
acquainted with the laws which govern hypnotics, such a transition
seemed very far removed from possibility. He who in one moment had
himself been made to forget utterly the dominant passion and love of his
life, was so completely ignorant of the fact that he could not believe
such a thing possible in any case whatsoever.
In the dilemma in which he found himself there was nothing to be done
but to be guided by circumstances. He was not willing to leave Kafka
alone with the woman who hated him, and he saw no means of escaping her
society so long as she chose to impose it upon them both. He supposed,
too, that Unorna realized this as well as he did, and he tried to be
prepared for all events by revolving all the possibilities in his mind.
But Unorna was absorbed by very different thoughts. From time to time
she stole a glance at his face, and she saw that it was stern and
cold as ever. She had kept her word, but he did not relent. A terrible
anxiety overwhelmed her. It was possible, even probable, that he would
henceforth avoid her. She had gone too far. She had not reckoned upon
such a nature as his, capable of being roused to implacable anger by
mere sympathy for the suffering of another. Then, understanding it at
last, she had thought it would be enough that those sufferings should
be forgotten by him upon whom they had been inflicted. She could not
comprehend the horror he felt for herself and for her hideous cruelty.
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