every blessing. But I knew, and so Lizzie knew--John Fry
being now out of hearing--that this was not sound argument. For, if it
came to that, any man might take the King by the throat, and make him
cast away among the poor the money which he wanted sadly for Her Grace
the Duchess, and the beautiful Countess, of this, and of that. Lizzie,
of course, knew nothing about His Majesty's diversions, which were not
fit for a young maid's thoughts; but I now put the form of the argument
as it occurred to me.

Therefore I said, once for all (and both my sisters always listened when
I used the deep voice from my chest):

'Tom Faggus hath done wrong herein; wrong to himself, and to our Annie.
All he need have done was to show his pardon, and the magistrates would
have rejoiced with him. He might have led a most godly life, and have
been respected by everybody; and knowing how brave Tom is, I thought
that he would have done as much. Now if I were in love with a maid'--I
put it thus for the sake of poor Lizzie--'never would I so imperil my
life, and her fortune in life along with me, for the sake of a poor
diversion. A man's first duty is to the women, who are forced to hang
upon him'--

'Oh, John, not that horrible word,' cried Annie, to my great surprise,
and serious interruption; 'oh, John, any word but that!' And she burst
forth crying terribly.

'What word, Lizzie? What does the wench mean?' I asked, in the saddest
vexation; seeing no good to ask Annie at all, for she carried on most
dreadfully.

'Don't you know, you stupid lout?' said Lizzie, completing my
wonderment, by the scorn of her quicker intelligence; 'if you don't
know, axe about?'

And with that, I was forced to be content; for Lizzie took Annie in such
a manner (on purpose to vex me, as I could see) with her head drooping
down, and her hair coming over, and tears and sobs rising and falling,
to boot, without either order or reason, that seeing no good for a
man to do (since neither of them was Lorna), I even went out into the
courtyard, and smoked a pipe, and wondered what on earth is the meaning
of women.

Now in this I was wrong and unreasonable (as all women will
acknowledge); but sometimes a man is so put out, by the way they take
on about nothing, that he really cannot help thinking, for at least
a minute, that women are a mistake for ever, and hence are for ever
mistaken. Nevertheless I could not see that any of these great thoughts
and ideas applied