o what we please and can ... there _is_ a
natural inferiority of mind in women--of the intellect ... not by any
means, of the moral nature--and that the history of Art and of genius
testifies to this fact openly. Oh--I would not say so to Mrs. Jameson
for the world. I believe I was a coward to her altogether--for when
she denounced carpet work as 'injurious to the mind,' because it led
the workers into 'fatal habits of reverie,' I defended the carpet work
as if I were striving _pro aris et focis_, (_I_, who am so innocent of
all that knowledge!) and said not a word for the poor reveries which
have frayed away so much of silken time for me ... and let her go
away repeating again and again ... 'Oh, but _you_ may do carpet work
with impunity--yes! _because_ you can be writing poems all the
while.'!

Think of people making poems and rugs at once. There's complex
machinery for you!

I told you that I had a sensation of cold blue steel from her
eyes!--And yet I really liked and like and shall like her. She is very
kind I believe--and it was my mistake--and I correct my impressions of
her more and more to perfection, as _you_ tell me who know more of her
than I.

Only I should not dare, ... _ever_, I think ... to tell her that I
believe women ... all of us in a mass ... to have minds of quicker
movement, but less power and depth ... and that we are under your
feet, because we can't stand upon our own. Not that we should either
be quite under your feet! so you are not to be too proud, if you
please--and there is certainly some amount of wrong--: but it never
will be righted in the manner and to the extent contemplated by
certain of our own prophetesses ... nor ought to be, I hold in
intimate persuasion. One woman indeed now alive ... and only _that_
one down all the ages of the world--seems to me to justify for a
moment an opposite opinion--that wonderful woman George Sand; who has
something monstrous in combination with her genius, there is no
denying at moments (for she has written one book, Leila, which I could
not read, though I am not easily turned back,) but whom, in her good
and evil together, I regard with infinitely more admiration than all
other women of genius who are or have been. Such a colossal nature in
every way,--with all that breadth and scope of faculty which women
want--magnanimous, and loving the truth and loving the people--and
with that 'hate of hate' too, which you extol--so eloquent, and yet
earnes