This chapter opens with a soliloquy by James. He tells us that if you're looking for a girl, you can get her. He says that he's not interested in getting married, and that he doesn't think he'll ever get married. He's never told Henry anything about it, he says, and now he understands why people say strong denials mean a strong confirmation. He asks why he likes to do laundry, and he says that's because it makes things "clean" and he hates things that are "filthy" . He adds that he can't kiss anyone, because he is an orphan. He also says that if he were to get married, he'd have to do the dirty work of washing clothes, which he finds disgusting and disgusting. He explains that he hates dirty laundry because he hates making things dirty. He hates the idea that people would want to "kiss" him, because no one would ever want to kiss someone who's dirty like him. James says that even though he tries hard to be a good person, he sometimes feels like a kid with "pretty lips" who has to deal with "horrid vermin and sewage flooding out through his filthy lips." He asks Henry to stop talking about getting married. Henry smells like "freshly washed laundry," and he tells James that his lips are beautiful.
This chapter opens with a soliloquy by James. He tells us that if you're looking for a girl, you can get her. He says that he's not interested in getting married, and that he doesn't think he'll ever get married. He's never told Henry anything about it, he says, and now he understands why people say strong denials mean a strong confirmation. He asks why he likes to do laundry, and he says that's because it makes things "clean" and he hates things that are "filthy" . He adds that he can't kiss anyone, because he is an orphan. He also says that if he were to get married, he'd have to do the dirty work of washing clothes, which he finds disgusting and disgusting. He explains that he hates dirty laundry because he hates making things dirty. He hates the idea that people would want to "kiss" him, because no one would ever want to kiss someone who's dirty like him. James says that even though he tries hard to be a good person, he sometimes feels like a kid with "pretty lips" who has to deal with "horrid vermin and sewage flooding out through his filthy lips." He asks Henry to stop talking about getting married. Henry smells like "freshly washed laundry," and he tells James that his lips are beautiful.