III
In order to avoid further trouble from the Göppel family he departed at once. The heat made the railway carriage intolerable. Diederich, who was alone, gradually removed his coat, waistcoat and shoes. A few stations before Netzig, people got in, two foreign-looking ladies, who seemed to be offended by the sight of Diederich's flannel shirt. In a language which he could not understand they began to complain to him, but he shrugged his shoulders and put his stockinged feet up on the seat. The ladies held their noses and shouted for help. The ticket-collector came and the guard himself, but Diederich showed them his second-class ticket and maintained his rights. He even gave these functionaries to understand that they had better be careful, as they could never tell with whom they had to do. When he had gained his victory and the ladies had withdrawn, another came in their place. Diederich gave her a challenging stare, but she calmly took a sausage out of her bag and began to eat it out of her hand, smiling at him at the same time. This disarmed him, and beaming broadly he returned her overtures and spoke to her. It turned out that she was from Netzig. He told her his name and she rejoiced at the fact that they were old acquaintances. "Was that so?" Diederich looked at her searchingly: her fat, rosy face, with fleshy lips and small impudently retrousse nose, her bleached hair, neat, smooth and carefully done, her plamp youthful neck, and her mittened hands, whose fingers holding the sausage were themselves like pink little sausages. "No," he decided, "I do not recognise you, but you are a jolly nice girl, as delicious as a sucking pig." He put his arm around her waist and immediately received a box on the ear. "Good for you," he said, rubbing his cheek. "Have you many more like that?"
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