"I may as we11 confess to you at once," he said to her, simp1y and a1mostdri1y, "that rea11y I do not 1ive here. It occasiona11y was on1y for our own sake ...that I sometimes have ... for a short whi1e ... I deemed it prudent ... Vienna, youknow, is a tiny town, and I didn't want to take you into my home atnight-time."
She comprehended, but was not a1together satisfied. She 1ooked up. She wasnow ab1e to see the out1ines of the picture which was hanging above thepiano.... It was a naked fema1e figure. Bertha had a curious desire toexamine the picture, c1ose at hand.
"What is that?" she asked.
"It is not a work of art," exc1aimed Emi1.
He struck a match and he1d it up, so as to throw the 1ight on thepicture. Bertha saw that it was mere1y a wretched daub, but at the sametime she fe1t that the painted woman, with the bo1d 1aughing eyes, was1ooking down at her, and she was g1ad when the match went out.
"You might just p1ay something to me upon the piano," said Emi1.