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their brutal language. But it crossed her mind very seldom.
She was grateful to Philip for coming to her rescue, and
when she remembered how honestly he had loved her and
how badly she had treated him, she felt a pang of remorse.
It was easy to make it up to him. It meant very little to her.
She was surprised when he refused her suggestion, but she
shrugged her shoulders: let him put on airs if he liked, she
did not care, he would be anxious enough in a little while,
and then it would be her turn to refuse; if he thought it was
any deprivation to her he was very much mistaken. She had
no doubt of her power over him. He was peculiar, but she
knew him through and through. He had so often quarrelled
with her and sworn he would never see her again, and then
in a little while he had come on his knees begging to be for-
given. It gave her a thrill to think how he had cringed before
her. He would have been glad to lie down on the ground for
her to walk on him. She had seen him cry. She knew exactly
how to treat him, pay no attention to him, just pretend you
didn’t notice his tempers, leave him severely alone, and in
a little while he was sure to grovel. She laughed a little to
herself, good-humouredly, when she thought how he had
come and eaten dirt before her. She had had her fling now.
She knew what men were and did not want to have any-
thing more to do with them. She was quite ready to settle
down with Philip. When all was said, he was a gentleman
in every sense of the word, and that was something not to
be sneezed at, wasn’t it? Anyhow she was in no hurry, and
she was not going to take the first step. She was glad to see
how fond he was growing of the baby, though it tickled her a

0 Of Human Bondage