Page 102 - of-human-bondage-

Mr. Perkins looked at him again. He wondered whether
there was sarcasm behind the boy’s reply, but he was still
much too shaken. His face was white and his eyes had a look
of terrified distress. Mr. Perkins got up and put the book
down. As he did so he took up some photographs.
‘A friend of mine sent me some pictures of Athens this
morning,’ he said casually. ‘Look here, there’s the Akropo-
lis.’
He began explaining to Philip what he saw. The ruin
grew vivid with his words. He showed him the theatre of
Dionysus and explained in what order the people sat, and
how beyond they could see the blue Aegean. And then sud-
denly he said:
‘I remember Mr. Gordon used to call me a gipsy counter-
jumper when I was in his form.’
And before Philip, his mind fixed on the photographs,
had time to gather the meaning of the remark, Mr. Perkins
was showing him a picture of Salamis, and with his finger,
a finger of which the nail had a little black edge to it, was
pointing out how the Greek ships were placed and how the
Persian.

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