Brideshead Revisited

by Evelyn Waugh

“I think you are very fond of Sebastian,” she said. “Why, certainly.” “I know of these romantic friendships of the English and the Germans. They are not Latin. I think they are very good if they do not go on too long.” She was so composed and matter-of-fact that I could not take her amiss, but I failed to find an answer. She seemed not to expect one but continued stitching, pausing sometimes to match the silk from a work-bag at her side. “It is a kind of love that comes to children before they know its meaning. In England it comes when you are almost men; I think I like that. It is better to have that kind of love for another boy than for a girl.