Page 757 - of-human-bondage-

a new dress if you like.’
‘I want it badly enough,’ she answered.
‘I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to be oper-
ated upon at the end of July.’
‘Why, have you got something the matter with you?’ she
interrupted.
It struck her that an illness she did not know might ex-
plain what had so much puzzled her. He flushed, for he
hated to refer to his deformity.
‘No, but they think they can do something to my foot. I
couldn’t spare the time before, but now it doesn’t matter so
much. I shall start my dressing in October instead of next
month. I shall only be in hospital a few weeks and then we
can go away to the seaside for the rest of the summer. It’ll
do us all good, you and the baby and me.’
‘Oh, let’s go to Brighton, Philip, I like Brighton, you get
such a nice class of people there.’ Philip had vaguely thought
of some little fishing village in Cornwall, but as she spoke
it occurred to him that Mildred would be bored to death
there.
‘I don’t mind where we go as long as I get the sea.’
He did not know why, but he had suddenly an irresist-
ible longing for the sea. He wanted to bathe, and he thought
with delight of splashing about in the salt water. He was a
good swimmer, and nothing exhilarated him like a rough
sea.
‘I say, it will be jolly,’ he cried.
‘It’ll be like a honeymoon, won’t it?’ she said. ‘How much
can I have for my new dress, Phil?’

Of Human Bondage