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XXII

hilip’s uncle had an old friend, called Miss Wilkinson,
Pwho lived in Berlin. She was the daughter of a clergyman,
and it was with her father, the rector of a village in Lincoln-
shire, that Mr. Carey had spent his last curacy; on his death,
forced to earn her living, she had taken various situations
as a governess in France and Germany. She had kept up a
correspondence with Mrs. Carey, and two or three times
had spent her holidays at Blackstable Vicarage, paying as
was usual with the Careys’ unfrequent guests a small sum
for her keep. When it became clear that it was less trouble
to yield to Philip’s wishes than to resist them, Mrs. Carey
wrote to ask her for advice. Miss Wilkinson recommended
Heidelberg as an excellent place to learn German in and the
house of Frau Professor Erlin as a comfortable home. Philip
might live there for thirty marks a week, and the Professor
himself, a teacher at the local high school, would instruct
him.
Philip arrived in Heidelberg one morning in May. His
things were put on a barrow and he followed the porter out
of the station. The sky was bright blue, and the trees in the
avenue through which they passed were thick with leaves;
there was something in the air fresh to Philip, and mingled
with the timidity he felt at entering on a new life, among
strangers, was a great exhilaration. He was a little discon-

1 Of Human Bondage