The Greeks understood the place of women; all this nonsense
of vows of fidelity and exaltation of sentiment in the home cramps a
man's ambitions. It is perfectly natural that he should take a wife if
his position calls for it, because the society in which we move has made
a figurehead of that kind necessary. But that a woman should expect a
man to be faithful to her, be she wife or mistress, is contrary to all
nature."
"We have put nature out of the running now for a couple of thousand
years," Mr. Carlyon announced sententiously; "we have set up a standard
of impossibilities and worship hypocrisy and can no longer see any
truth. You have got to reckon with things as they are, not with what
nature meant them to be."
"Then you think women are a force now which one must consider?"
"I think they are as deadly as the deep sea--" and Mr. Carlyon's voice
was tense. "When they have only bodies they are dangerous enough, but
when--as many of the modern ones have--they combine a modicum of mind as
well, with all the cunning Satan originally endowed them with--then
happy is the man who escapes, even partially whole, from their claws.
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