Page:An Unfinished Song.djvu/146

Rh "What pleased me most? The women's"

"Beauty," broke in my brother-in-law. "Good heavens, man, I have never yet been guilty of that remark."

"It is very courteous of you, doctor," said my sister laughingly, "to tell us that to our face."

"But pardon, madame, it was not I who said that, it was your husband. What I liked best was the liberty and self-reliance of the women. Day by day their sphere of activity expands until they have begun to invade the realms of politics. The men may laugh at them, but nevertheless they respect their women for it. It is impossible for us to realise here what influence those women exercise on their country and on the individual, and how beneficent that influence is. Our life seems purposeless compared with it."

"But," I replied, "since in our country men and women mix together so little, it must seem very strange to a new comer to find himself constantly in the company of ladies."

"That is true. I must admit my condition was a miserable one. To give you