Page 425 - of-human-bondage-
P. 425

to take a discreet pleasure in their careful arrangement. He
            suggested one or two books which they might buy and ad-
           vised the purchase of a skeleton. He spoke of anatomy with
            enthusiasm: it was essential to the study of surgery; a knowl-
            edge of it added to the appreciation of art. Philip pricked
           up his ears. He heard later that Mr. Cameron lectured also
           to the students at the Royal Academy. He had lived many
           years in Japan, with a post at the University of Tokyo, and
           he flattered himself on his appreciation of the beautiful.
              ‘You will have to learn many tedious things,’ he finished,
           with an indulgent smile, ‘which you will forget the moment
           you have passed your final examination, but in anatomy it
           is better to have learned and lost than never to have learned
            at all.’
              He took up the pelvis which was lying on the table and
            began to describe it. He spoke well and clearly.
              At  the  end  of  the  lecture  the  boy  who  had  spoken  to
           Philip in the pathological museum and sat next to him in
           the theatre suggested that they should go to the dissecting-
           room. Philip and he walked along the corridor again, and
            an attendant told them where it was. As soon as they en-
           tered Philip understood what the acrid smell was which he
           had noticed in the passage. He lit a pipe. The attendant gave
            a short laugh.
              ‘You’ll soon get used to the smell. I don’t notice it my-
            self.’
              He asked Philip’s name and looked at a list on the board.
              ‘You’ve got a leg—number four.’
              Philip  saw  that  another  name  was  bracketed  with  his

                                               Of Human Bondage
   420   421   422   423   424   425   426   427   428   429   430