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They were the first words either of them had spoken since
getting into the cab. They walked a few yards and Mildred
knocked three times, sharply, at a door. Philip noticed in the
fanlight a cardboard on which was an announcement that
apartments were to let. The door was opened quietly, and an
elderly, tall woman let them in. She gave Philip a stare and
then spoke to Mildred in an undertone. Mildred led Philip
along a passage to a room at the back. It was quite dark; she
asked him for a match, and lit the gas; there was no globe,
and the gas flared shrilly. Philip saw that he was in a din-
gy little bed-room with a suite of furniture, painted to look
like pine much too large for it; the lace curtains were very
dirty; the grate was hidden by a large paper fan. Mildred
sank on the chair which stood by the side of the chimney-
piece. Philip sat on the edge of the bed. He felt ashamed. He
saw now that Mildred’s cheeks were thick with rouge, her
eyebrows were blackened; but she looked thin and ill, and
the red on her cheeks exaggerated the greenish pallor of her
skin. She stared at the paper fan in a listless fashion. Philip
could not think what to say, and he had a choking in his
throat as if he were going to cry. He covered his eyes with
his hands.
‘My God, it is awful,’ he groaned.
‘I don’t know what you’ve got to fuss about. I should have
thought you’d have been rather pleased.’
Philip did not answer, and in a moment she broke into
a sob.
‘You don’t think I do it because I like it, do you?’
‘Oh, my dear,’ he cried. ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so awfully sor-

Of Human Bondage