Page 983 - of-human-bondage-

towards the sea all together, talking and laughing; and Sal-
ly was quiet, but she was always that, reserved, but he had
never seen her otherwise, and gentle. She neither sought
conversation with him nor avoided it. Philip was astound-
ed. He had expected the incident of the night before to have
caused some revolution in her, but it was just as though
nothing had happened; it might have been a dream; and as
he walked along, a little girl holding on to one hand and
a little boy to the other, while he chatted as unconcerned-
ly as he could, he sought for an explanation. He wondered
whether Sally meant the affair to be forgotten. Perhaps her
senses had run away with her just as his had, and, treating
what had occurred as an accident due to unusual circum-
stances, it might be that she had decided to put the matter
out of her mind. It was ascribing to her a power of thought
and a mature wisdom which fitted neither with her age nor
with her character. But he realised that he knew nothing of
her. There had been in her always something enigmatic.
They played leap-frog in the water, and the bathe was
as uproarious as on the previous day. Sally mothered them
all, keeping a watchful eye on them, and calling to them
when they went out too far. She swam staidly backwards
and forwards while the others got up to their larks, and now
and then turned on her back to float. Presently she went
out and began drying herself; she called to the others more
or less peremptorily, and at last only Philip was left in the
water. He took the opportunity to have a good hard swim.
He was more used to the cold water this second morning,
and he revelled in its salt freshness; it rejoiced him to use

Of Human Bondage