orn as I watched her; I cursed her afresh
in the name of the man I had killed. And above all, surrounded with the
luster of golden rays and incrusted jewels, the uncovered Host shone
serenely like the gleam of the morning star. The stately service went
on--the organ music swept through and through the church as though it
were a strong wind striving to set itself free--but amid it all I sat
as one in a dark dream, scarcely seeing, scarcely hearing--inflexible
and cold as marble. The rich plaintive voice of one of the nuns in the
choir, singing the Agnus Dei, moved me to a chill sort of wonder. "Qui
tollis peccata mundi--Who takest away the sin of the world." No, no!
there are some sins that cannot be taken away--the sins of faithless
women, the "LITTLE" sins as they are called nowadays--for we have grown
very lenient in some things, and very severe in others. We will
imprison the miserable wretch who steals five francs from our pockets,
but the cunning feminine thief who robs us of our prestige, our name
and honorable standing among our fellow-men, escapes almost scot-free;
she cannot be put in prison, or sentenced to hard labor--not she! A
pity it is that Christ did not leave us some injunction as to what was
to be done with such women--not the penitent Magdalenes, but the
creatures whose mouths are full of lies even when they pretend to
pray--they who would be capable of trying to tempt the priest who comes
to receive their last confessions--they who would even act out a sham
repentance on their deathbeds in order to look well. What can be done
with devils such as these? Much has been said latterly of the wrongs
perpetrated on women by men; will no one take up the other side of the
question? We, the stronger sex, are weak in this--we are too
chivalrous. When a woman flings herself on our mercy we spare her and
are silent. Tortures will not wring her secrets out of us; something
holds us back from betraying her. I know not what it can be--perhaps it
is the memory of our mothers. Whatever it is, it is certain that many a
man allows himself to be disgraced rather than he will disgrace a
woman. But a time is at hand when this foolish chivalry of ours will
die out. On changera tout cela! When once our heavy masculine brains
shall have grasped the novel idea that woman has by her own wish and
choice resigned all claim on our respect or forbearance, we shall have
our revenge. We are slow to change the traditions of our forefath