Chapter 93 Chapter 93

The next morning Mildred looked gloomy and breathless.She locked herself in her bedroom and stayed at home until it was time to cook lunch.She is a poor cook, she can cook very few dishes except for roasting ribs and fried pork slices, and she doesn't know how to make the best use of everything, throwing away some odds and ends.As a result, Philip had to incur a much larger expense than originally estimated.After Mildred set the meal, she sat down opposite Philip, but she didn't eat or drink.When Philip asked her, she only said that she had a terrible headache and that she was not hungry.Philip was glad that he had a good place to spend the rest of the day--the Athelnys were cheerful and hospitable.They were all looking forward to his visit with joy, which was an unexpected good thing.Mildred had gone to bed when Philip returned from the Athelny's.But the next day, she still didn't say a word.At dinner, she was sitting at the table, frowning, but he silently told himself to be considerate of her and understand her mood.

"Why don't you say a word?" asked Philip, smiling. "I was hired to cook and clean for people, but it never occurred to me to talk to people." Philip thought the answer rude, but he must do his best to keep things from becoming too tense if they were to go on living together. "I'm afraid you are angry with me for what happened that night?" said Philip. It was embarrassing to talk about it, but it was clearly necessary to make it clear to her. "I don't know what you mean," returned Mildred. "Please don't lose your temper. I would never have asked you to live here if I hadn't thought we could only be friends. I suggest it because I think you want a place to live." Wherever you go, you might have a chance to go out and get a job."

"Oh, don't think I value this." "I It never occurred to me for a moment," added Philip hastily, "that you shouldn't think me unreasonable.I know you brought that up for me.I just feel that that thing makes everything look ugly and horrible, and I can't explain why I feel that way. " "You're a queer fellow," said Mildred, looking at Philip curiously. "It's a mystery." At this moment, she had no resentment towards Philip, but she felt rather melancholy and confused, not knowing what Philip was thinking.She silently accepted this way of life, and indeed she had a vague feeling that Philip's behavior was very noble, and she could not help admiring it.But at the same time, she wanted to laugh at him, and perhaps look down on him a little.

"He's a tough fellow," thought Mildred privately. For them, life went on quite smoothly.Philip spent the day in the hospital, and in the evenings, when he went to Athelny's or the tavern on Upper Peak Street, he generally read and did his homework in the flat.He was once invited to a formal lunch by a doctor with whom he had interned.He also participated in two or three evening parties held by his classmates.Mildred, on the other hand, let it be and accepted this lonely and monotonous life.If she cared at Philip leaving her alone in the flat at night, she never said it.Now and then Philip took her to the vaudeville to relax.Philip was really carrying out his intention that the relationship between the two of them could only be that of him feeding and lodging Mildred, in return for Mildred being able to do the housework.Mildred decided not to look for work for the summer because it was useless to look for it.With Philip's permission she made up her mind to stay where she was until the autumn.In the fall, she thought, it would be easier to go out and look for work.

"As far as I am concerned, you have found a job, and you can stay here as long as you think it is convenient. The room is ready, and the old mother I hired can take care of the children." Philip became very fond of Mildred's children.He has the great nature of being a loving father, but he just has no chance to show it.Nor could Mildred treat the child badly.She takes good care of the children.Once, the child had a bad cold, and she took care of the child like a dedicated nurse.But the child bored her.Whenever the child disturbed her, she would be nasty.She likes this child, but she lacks that kind of selfless maternal love.Mildred was not a showy person, but on the contrary found it ludicrous.She laughed loudly at Philip when he sat the baby on his lap and made him play and kiss him.

"If you were her real father, that's all you could do to love her," she said, "and you'd be as silly as you could be with this child." Philip's face was flushed red, he was afraid of being ridiculed.It's absurd that I would be so devoted to another man's child!He couldn't help feeling ashamed of his overflowing emotion.But now the child seemed to feel that he liked her, and pressed her little face to Philip's, and snuggled into his arms. "It's all very well with you," said Mildred. "You have nothing to do with things that don't go your way. What would you think if you had a good night's sleep and you were kept awake for an hour because this little lady didn't want to go to sleep?"

All the memories of his childhood that Philip thought he had forgotten all at once came to his mind.He casually grabbed the child's toes. "This little pig is sold to the market, this little pig stays at home." When he came home in the evening, as soon as he walked into the living room, his first sight was to search for the child lying on all fours on the floor.As soon as he heard the child's happy call after seeing him, he couldn't help but aroused several waves of excitement in his heart.Mildred had taught the child to call Philip Papa, but when the boy called him Papa for the first time of its own accord, she laughed uncontrollably.

"I wonder if you like the child so much because it's mine," said Mildred, "but I don't know that you do the same with other people's children." "I've never known anyone's children, so I can't tell," Philip replied. Philip's second term of residency is coming to an end.At this time, he had good luck.It was mid-July.He went up to the tavern on Peak Street one Tuesday evening and found Macalister alone there.The two of them sat together and talked for a while about the two absent friends.After a while Macalister said to Philip: "Hey, just to tell you something by the way. I heard some very good news today. It's about New Cranfonton. New Cranfonton is a gold mine in Rhodesia. If you want to vote If you have a machine, you can make a lot of money."

Philip had been eagerly waiting for such an opportunity, but when it did come he hesitated.He is terribly afraid of losing money, because he lacks the temperament of a gambler. "I'd love to try it, but I don't know if I'm going to take the risk. How much am I going to lose if it happens?" "I'm telling you about it because I see you're eager about it, or I wouldn't have told it at all." Philip fancied that Macalister thought of him as an ass. "I'd love to make some money," he said with a laugh. "You can't make a dime unless you're ready to take a risk."

Macalister began to talk of other matters.Philip, who was sitting by the side, replied humbly, but he couldn't stop thinking in his heart that if the transaction finally succeeded, then the next time the two of them met, the stockbroker would Watch his jokes.Macalister had a sarcastic mouth. "I should like to try it, if you don't mind," said Philip eagerly. "All right. I'll buy you two hundred and fifty shares, and I'll sell yours as soon as I see it go up two and a half shillings." Philip quickly figured out how big this sum was, and at this moment, he couldn't help salivating.At that time, there will be a windfall of thirty pounds from the sky, and he thinks that fate really owes him a debt.As soon as he saw Mildred at breakfast next morning, he told her about it.But she thought he was too stupid.

"I've never met anyone who made a fortune on the stock exchange," she said. "The emir used to say that. He said, you can't expect to get rich on the stock exchange." Philip bought an evening paper on the way home, and his eyes were fixed on the financial column.He knew nothing about such matters, and it was with difficulty that he found the stock Macalister was talking about.He found that the ticker was up by a quarter.His heart was pounding.Suddenly he was wracked with apprehension that Macalister had forgotten about him, or for some other reason hadn't bought the stock on his behalf.Macalister promised to telegraph him.Philip could not wait to take the tram home, and jumped into a carriage.For him, this is a rare luxury. "Is there a telegram from me?" he asked as soon as he had stepped through the door. "No," replied Mildred. He straightened his face immediately, deeply disappointed, and slumped heavily into a chair. "So he didn't buy me stock at all. The bastard!" he swore angrily. "What bad luck! I've been thinking all day about what I'm going to do with that money." "Well, what are you going to do?" asked Mildred. "What do you want it to do now? Oh, how I need that money!" Mildred laughed and handed him a telegram. "I was joking with you just now. I have dismantled the telegram." He snatched the telegram from her hand.Macalister bought him two hundred and fifty shares, and sold them, as he said, at two and a half shillings.The power of attorney will arrive the next day.For a moment Philip was annoyed that Mildred should play such a cruel joke on him, but after a while he was completely absorbed in the joy. "It's different when I have the money," he exclaimed. "I'll buy you a new dress if you want." "I'm just in need of a new dress," interjected Mildred. "I'm going to tell you my plan now. I'm going to be operated on at the end of July." "Hey, what's wrong with you?" she interjected. Mildred felt that the fact that he was suffering from a secret disease unknown to her might help her understand why she was so puzzled by him.And Philip blushed because he would not mention his disability. Nothing wrong with me, but they thought there was a cure for my lameness.Before, I couldn't spare the time, but now it doesn't matter.I'll only be in the hospital for a few weeks, and then we can go to the beach for the rest of the summer.It's good for you, it's good for the kids, it's good for me, it's good for all of us. " "Oh, let's go to Brighton, Philip. I like Brighton, and you have so many respectable friends there." Philip thought vaguely of small fishing villages in Cornwall.But while Mildred was talking, he suddenly felt that Mildred would be suffocated in there. "I can go anywhere as long as I can see the ocean." Suddenly, for no reason, Philip felt an irresistible longing for the sea.He wanted to take a sea bath to his heart's content.He excitedly thought of the scene of himself splashing the waves of the sea, and nothing could arouse his infinite joy more than the rough sea. "Why, that's very pretty!" cried Philip. "It's like going on a honeymoon, isn't it?" said Mildred. "Phil, how much are you giving me to buy new clothes?"