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one of Griffiths’ most faithful admirers, copied his ties, his
boots, his manner of talking and his gestures, told Philip
that Griffiths was very much hurt because Philip had not
answered his letter. He wanted to be reconciled with him.
‘Has he asked you to give me the message?’ asked Philip.
‘Oh, no. I’m saying this entirely on my own,’ said Rams-
den. ‘He’s awfully sorry for what he did, and he says you
always behaved like a perfect brick to him. I know he’d be
glad to make it up. He doesn’t come to the hospital because
he’s afraid of meeting you, and he thinks you’d cut him.’
‘I should.’
‘It makes him feel rather wretched, you know.’
‘I can bear the trifling inconvenience that he feels with a
good deal of fortitude,’ said Philip.
‘He’ll do anything he can to make it up.’
‘How childish and hysterical! Why should he care? I’m a
very insignificant person, and he can do very well without
my company. I’m not interested in him any more.’
Ramsden thought Philip hard and cold. He paused for a
moment or two, looking about him in a perplexed way.
‘Harry wishes to God he’d never had anything to do with
the woman.’
‘Does he?’ asked Philip.
He spoke with an indifference which he was satisfied
with. No one could have guessed how violently his heart
was beating. He waited impatiently for Ramsden to go on.
‘I suppose you’ve quite got over it now, haven’t you?’
‘I?’ said Philip. ‘Quite.’
Little by little he discovered the history of Mildred’s re-