that a pair so
happily situated as you two should not agree perfectly."

"You would get no further; for Marian would never admit that we do not
agree. She does not know what her complaint is, and therefore feels
bound in honor to maintain that she has nothing to complain of. She is
not the woman to cast reproach on me for a discontent she cannot
explain. Or, if she could explain it, how much wiser should you be? _I_
have explained; and you confess you cannot understand me. The difference
between us is neither her fault nor mine; and all the explanations in
the world will not remove it."

"If you would allow me to appeal to her religious duty----"

"Religion! She doesnt believe in it."

"What!" exclaimed the clergyman, unaffectedly shocked. "Surely,
surely----"

"Listen. To me, believing in a doctrine doesnt mean holding up your hand
and saying, 'Credo.' It means habitually acting on the assumption that
the doctrine is true. Marian thinks it wrong not to go to church; and
she will hold up her hand and cry 'Credo' to the immortality of her
soul, or to any verse in the New Testament. The shareholders of our
concern in the city will do the same. But do they or she ever act on the
assumption that they are immortal, or that riches are dross, or that
class prejudice is damnable? Never. They dont believe it. You will find
that Marian has been thoroughly trained to separate her practice from
her religious professions; and if you allude to the inconsistency she
will instinctively feel that you are offending against good taste. In
short, her 'Credo' doesnt mean faith: it means church-going, which is
practised because it is respectable, and is respectable because it is a
habit of the upper caste. But church-going is church-going; and business
is business, as Marian will soon let you know if you meddle with _her_
business. However, we need not argue about that: we know one another's
views and can agree to differ."

"I should be false to my duty as a Christian priest if I made any such
agreement."

"Perhaps so; but, at any rate, we cant spend all our lives over the same
argument. No, as I was saying, take my advice, and let Marian alone."

"But what do you intend to do, then?"

"What _can_ I do but wait? Experience must wear out some of her
illusions. She will at least find out that she is no worse off than
other women, and better off than some of them. Since the job cannot be
undone, we must try how making the best of it