Page 543 - of-human-bondage-

He visualised her. He was slightly repelled by the ugly
little face, with its high cheekbones and the crude colour.
There was a coarseness in her skin which gave him goose-
flesh. He knew that his telegram must be followed by some
action on his part, but at all events it postponed it.
Next day he wired again.
Regret, unable to come. Will write.
Mildred had suggested coming at four in the afternoon,
and he would not tell her that the hour was inconvenient.
After all she came first. He waited for her impatiently. He
watched for her at the window and opened the front-door
himself.
‘Well? Did you see Nixon?’
‘Yes,’ she answered. ‘He said it wasn’t any good. Noth-
ing’s to be done. I must just grin and bear it.’
‘But that’s impossible,’ cried Philip.
She sat down wearily.
‘Did he give any reasons?’ he asked.
She gave him a crumpled letter.
‘There’s your letter, Philip. I never took it. I couldn’t tell
you yesterday, I really couldn’t. Emil didn’t marry me. He
couldn’t. He had a wife already and three children.’
Philip felt a sudden pang of jealousy and anguish. It was
almost more than he could bear.
‘That’s why I couldn’t go back to my aunt. There’s no one
I can go to but you.’
‘What made you go away with him?’ Philip asked, in a
low voice which he struggled to make firm.
‘I don’t know. I didn’t know he was a married man at first,

Of Human Bondage