I have been away five times as long as
you, yet I am homesick."
"Really?"
"Honest."
She was as repellent to me as the rest of her class. I could never
bring myself to accept a cup of tea from her hands. And yet I
could not help liking her spirit. She was truthful and affectionate.
This and, above all, her yearning for our common birthplace
appealed to me strongly. I was very much inclined to think that in
spite of the horrible life she led she was a good girl. To hold this
sort of opinion about a woman of her kind seemed to be an
improper thing to do. I knew that according to the conventional
idea concerning women of the street they were all the most
hideous creatures in the world in every respect. So I would tell
myself that I must consider her, too, one of the most hideous
creatures in the world in every respect. But I did not. For I knew
that at heart she was better than some of the most respectable
people I had met. It was one of the astonishing discrepancies I had
discovered in the world. Also, it was one of the things I had found
to be totally different from what people usually thought they were.
Pages:
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210