It did not occur to her how house-room,
furniture, doctors, nurses, and servants supply dignity to a
commonplace process of nature. It seemed to Mavis that Mrs Gowler
lived in an atmosphere of horror and pain. At the same time, the
girl had the sense to realise that Mrs Gowler had her use in life,
inasmuch as she provided a refuge for the women, which salved their
pride (no small matter) by enabling them to forego entering the
workhouse infirmary, which otherwise could not have been avoided.
Oscar inspired Mavis with an inexpressible loathing. For the life of
her, she could not understand why such terrible caricatures of
humanity were permitted to live, and were not put out of existence
at birth. The common trouble of Mrs Gowler's lodgers seemed to
establish a feeling of fellowship amongst them during the time that
they were there. Mavis was not a little surprised to receive one day
a request from a woman, to the effect that she should give this
person's baby a "feed," the mother not being so happily endowed in
this respect as Mavis. The latter's indignant refusal gave rise to
much comment in the place.
The "permanent" was soon on her feet, an advantage which she
declared was owing to her previous fecundity.
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