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Philip had been in not coming out of the water till he was
blue with cold. It was incredible, and yet it seemed that the
only effect of the incident of the night before was to arouse
in her a feeling of protection towards him: she had the same
instinctive desire to mother him as she had with regard to
her brothers and sisters.
It was not till the evening that he found himself alone
with her. She was cooking the supper, and Philip was sitting
on the grass by the side of the fire. Mrs. Athelny had gone
down to the village to do some shopping, and the children
were scattered in various pursuits of their own. Philip hesi-
tated to speak. He was very nervous. Sally attended to her
business with serene competence and she accepted placidly
the silence which to him was so embarrassing. He did not
know how to begin. Sally seldom spoke unless she was spo-
ken to or had something particular to say. At last he could
not bear it any longer.
‘You’re not angry with me, Sally?’ he blurted out sudden-
ly.
She raised her eyes quietly and looked at him without
emotion.
‘Me? No. Why should I be?’
He was taken aback and did not reply. She took the lid off
the pot, stirred the contents, and put it on again. A savoury
smell spread over the air. She looked at him once more, with
a quiet smile which barely separated her lips; it was more a
smile of the eyes.
‘I always liked you,’ she said.
His heart gave a great thump against his ribs, and he felt

Of Human Bondage