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‘You must look it out in the dictionary. Englishmen do
not know how to treat women. They are so shy. Shyness is
ridiculous in a man. They don’t know how to make love.
They can’t even tell a woman she is charming without look-
ing foolish.’
Philip felt himself absurd. Miss Wilkinson evidently ex-
pected him to behave very differently; and he would have
been delighted to say gallant and witty things, but they nev-
er occurred to him; and when they did he was too much
afraid of making a fool of himself to say them.
‘Oh, I love Paris,’ sighed Miss Wilkinson. ‘But I had to go
to Berlin. I was with the Foyots till the girls married, and
then I could get nothing to do, and I had the chance of this
post in Berlin. They’re relations of Madame Foyot, and I
accepted. I had a tiny apartment in the Rue Breda, on the
cinquieme: it wasn’t at all respectable. You know about the
Rue Breda—ces dames, you know.’
Philip nodded, not knowing at all what she meant, but
vaguely suspecting, and anxious she should not think him
too ignorant.
‘But I didn’t care. Je suis libre, n’est-ce pas?’ She was
very fond of speaking French, which indeed she spoke well.
‘Once I had such a curious adventure there.’
She paused a little and Philip pressed her to tell it.
‘You wouldn’t tell me yours in Heidelberg,’ she said.
‘They were so unadventurous,’ he retorted.
‘I don’t know what Mrs. Carey would say if she knew the
sort of things we talk about together.’
‘You don’t imagine I shall tell her.’

1 Of Human Bondage