ay
after his marriage will piously place his wife in a niche and light a
taper in front of her; then take his hat and go off to spend elsewhere a
scrap of youth left by chance at the bottom of his pocket.

Ah! my good little sisters who are so very much shocked and cry "Shame!"
follow our reasoning a little further. It is all very well that you
should be treated like saints, but do not let it be forgotten that you
are women, and, listen to me, do not forget it yourselves.

A husband, majestic and slightly bald, is a good thing; a young husband
who loves you and eats off the same plate is better. If he rumples your
dress a little, and imprints a kiss, in passing, on the back of your
neck, let him. When, on coming home from a ball, he tears out the pins,
tangles the strings, and laughs like a madman, trying to see whether you
are ticklish, let him. Do not cry "Murder!" if his moustache pricks you,
but think that it is all because at heart he loves you well. He worships
your virtues; is it surprising hence that he should cherish their
outward coverings? No doubt you have a noble soul; but your body is
not therefore to be despised; and when one loves fervently, one loves
everything at the same time. Do not be alarmed if in the evening, when
the fire is burning brightly and you are chatting gayly beside it, he
should take off one of your shoes and stockings, put your foot on his
lap, and in a moment of forgetfulness carry irreverence so far as to
kiss it; if he likes to pass your large tortoise-shell comb through your
hair, if he selects your perfumes, arranges your plaits, and suddenly
exclaims, striking his forehead: "Sit down there, darling; I have an
idea how to arrange a new coiffure."

If he turns up his sleeves and by chance tangles your curls, where
really is the harm? Thank Heaven if in the marriage which you have hit
upon you find a laughing, joyous side; if in your husband you find the
loved reader of the pretty romance you have in your pocket; if, while
wearing cashmere shawls and costly jewels in your ears, you find the
joys of a real intimacy--that is delicious! In short, reckon yourself
happy if in your husband you find a lover.

But before accepting my theories, ladies, although in your heart
and conscience you find them perfect, you will have several little
prejudices to overcome; above all, you will have to struggle against
your education, which is deplorable, as I have already said, but that is
no grea