Jan is watching Diana, the woman he loves, with her partner Rance. He finds that she has changed-- and in his estimation, not for the better.
I knew with absolute certainity that she had forgotten that I was waiting within a few yards of her to kill this man and that she had surrendered unconditionally to whatever spell he had exercised over her. She was completely submissive, but there was also a kind of pitiful eagerness in her approach to him. The transition was not merely astounding, it was terrifying.
Then, as he looked up and saw her, things began to happen in a way that suggested a kind of ritual, something that was fully understood between them, something that had happened before. He paced all about the room, addressing her in what was clearly a hectoring tone and all the time she listened very attentively, like a chastened pupil receiving teacher's lecture. I thought again that she must be acting, but then I realised no actress alive could have given a performance of that standard.
...
She poured two drinks, a large and a small, and carried them across to the desk. He was busy for a moment shuffling his precious postcards and when they were bunched he picked up his drink and she reached for hers. She did this so tentatively that I was not very much surprised by what happened next. He slapped the back of her hand with such force that I heard it strike the edge of the desk. She leapt back a space and her bruised hand shot to her mouth, but she did not take her eyes off him and expression was still reverent to the point of worship. He poured the contents of her glass into his and began to sip, giving her another order as if it were an afterthought.
...
In a single movement she threw off the gown and began to walk across the room, not towards him but past him as his foot stopped tapping and he leaned forward studying her intently and keeping up the rhythym by gently clapping his hands. She crossed in front of him again and reached the radiogram and then turned again and repeated the walk in exactly the same way, to and fro, along the entire length of the room and all the time he did nothing but watch her and clap his hands.
...
She had passed under the peep-hole about a dozen times when Rance seemed to warm up and take a more positive part in the ritual. Leaning forward as she moved a step beyond him he delivered a heavy smack on her buttock and another one to match it as she passed on the way back. She took no notice whatever the assault but it seemed to destroy his gravity for he threw back his head and howled with laughter.
This is where Jan enters the room and shoots his gun at Rance, thus ending the scene.
I knew with absolute certainity that she had forgotten that I was waiting within a few yards of her to kill this man and that she had surrendered unconditionally to whatever spell he had exercised over her. She was completely submissive, but there was also a kind of pitiful eagerness in her approach to him. The transition was not merely astounding, it was terrifying.
Then, as he looked up and saw her, things began to happen in a way that suggested a kind of ritual, something that was fully understood between them, something that had happened before. He paced all about the room, addressing her in what was clearly a hectoring tone and all the time she listened very attentively, like a chastened pupil receiving teacher's lecture. I thought again that she must be acting, but then I realised no actress alive could have given a performance of that standard.
...
She poured two drinks, a large and a small, and carried them across to the desk. He was busy for a moment shuffling his precious postcards and when they were bunched he picked up his drink and she reached for hers. She did this so tentatively that I was not very much surprised by what happened next. He slapped the back of her hand with such force that I heard it strike the edge of the desk. She leapt back a space and her bruised hand shot to her mouth, but she did not take her eyes off him and expression was still reverent to the point of worship. He poured the contents of her glass into his and began to sip, giving her another order as if it were an afterthought.
...
In a single movement she threw off the gown and began to walk across the room, not towards him but past him as his foot stopped tapping and he leaned forward studying her intently and keeping up the rhythym by gently clapping his hands. She crossed in front of him again and reached the radiogram and then turned again and repeated the walk in exactly the same way, to and fro, along the entire length of the room and all the time he did nothing but watch her and clap his hands.
...
She had passed under the peep-hole about a dozen times when Rance seemed to warm up and take a more positive part in the ritual. Leaning forward as she moved a step beyond him he delivered a heavy smack on her buttock and another one to match it as she passed on the way back. She took no notice whatever the assault but it seemed to destroy his gravity for he threw back his head and howled with laughter.
This is where Jan enters the room and shoots his gun at Rance, thus ending the scene.