e an absurdity in the other extreme, but--to leave the
romping dances and the young men to the girls, who want them more and
whom they become better. Then I don't like her face. You must have taken
notice that all the upper part of it is fine and intellectual, and she
has glorious eyes----"

"Yes," said Ashburner.

"But all the lower part is heavy and over-sensuous. Now, not only does
this, in my opinion, entirely disfigure a woman's looks, but it suggests
unpleasant ideas of her character. A man may have that ponderous chin
and voluptuous mouth, without their disturbing the harmony of an
otherwise handsome face. I do not think a woman can; and as in the
physical so in the moral. A man can stand a much greater amount of
sensuousness in his composition than a woman. I do not mean to allude to
the different standards of morality for the two sexes admitted by
society; for I don't admit it, and think it very unjust; and I am proud
to say that our people generally entertain more virtuous as well as more
equitable views on this point than the Europeans. I mean literally that
a man having so many opportunities for leading an active life, and being
able to reason himself into or out of a great many things to or from
which a woman's only guide is her feelings, may be very sensuous without
its doing any positive harm to himself or others; but with a woman, who
is compelled to lead a comparatively idle life, such an element
predominating in her character is sure to bring her into mischief."

"Do you mean to say, then, that----" and Ashburner stopped short, but
his look implied the remainder of his interrupted question.

"Do you ask me from a personal motive?"

Ashburner colored, and was proceeding to disclaim any such motive with
an air of injured innocence.

"No, I don't mean any thing of the sort," said Benson, who felt that he
had gone rather too far, and might unintentionally have slandered his
countrywoman. "I believe the lady is as pure as--as my wife, or any one
else. The number of her beaux, and the equality with which she treats
them, prove conclusively to my mind that her flirting never runs into
any thing worse. I don't think a woman runs any danger of that kind when
she has such a lot of cavaliers; they keep watch on her and on one
another. I remember when my brother lived in town, he once was away from
home for two or three weeks, and when he came back an old maid who lived
in his street, and used to keep religi