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good woman could hardly be called distinguished. Philip
imagined that she was in point of fact the widow of a small
tradesman. He knew that Mildred was a snob. But he found
no means by which he could indicate to her that he did not
mind how common the aunt was.
Their worst quarrel took place one evening at dinner
when she told him that a man had asked her to go to a play
with him. Philip turned pale, and his face grew hard and
stern.
‘You’re not going?’ he said.
‘Why shouldn’t I? He’s a very nice gentlemanly fellow.’
‘I’ll take you anywhere you like.’
‘But that isn’t the same thing. I can’t always go about with
you. Besides he’s asked me to fix my own day, and I’ll just go
one evening when I’m not going out with you. It won’t make
any difference to you.’
‘If you had any sense of decency, if you had any gratitude,
you wouldn’t dream of going.’
‘I don’t know what you mean by gratitude. if you’re refer-
ring to the things you’ve given me you can have them back.
I don’t want them.’
Her voice had the shrewish tone it sometimes got.
‘It’s not very lively, always going about with you. It’s al-
ways do you love me, do you love me, till I just get about
sick of it.’
(He knew it was madness to go on asking her that, but he
could not help himself.
‘Oh, I like you all right,’ she would answer.
‘Is that all? I love you with all my heart.’

0 Of Human Bondage