Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/150

 in so far as it attracts to her women whom she admires. She dresses handsomely and takes pleasure in her toilettes, though she does not study them as do many of her friends. She is a fine dancer, and a brilliant conversationalist. She has always attracted men, and has declined three offers of marriage. Her continuing in single life has perplexed her relatives and made "family trouble". When she was twenty-five, one offer of marriage, specially persistent, was from a young physician, of attractive personality, successful, etc. Miss A— admired him, and valued him as a friend. She was held back from accepting him simply by horror of sexual intercourse with a man. "If he had been a woman, I would have been the happiest being in the world". After much reflection, she decided to confess her secret to him. Naturally, he begged her to try their marriage as a remedy, and promised all degrees of sexual reserve with her, "till she should become more normal in sentiments". But he knew something of homosexualism, and he "could not promise" Miss. A— that her instincts would disapeardisappear [sic]. She therefore broke off the intimacy. The episode enlightened her somewhat as to her psychologic status. She was frightened and bewildered and again thought of suicide. At this time, a death in the family made Miss A— independent of her profession. She laid it aside, and. though ardently fond of it, she now rather avoids music as a recreation. In course of last year, Miss A— has been in homosexual relations with a lady of high social standing, some years her senior, married but living in platonic relations only, with her husband, who is believed to be homosexual. Miss A— lately has become despairing of a normal vita sexualis. She dreads especially the increase, or non-decrease, of her feelings as she grows older, and (as she frankly remarked) becomes less attractive. Insomnia, hysterical tendencies and so on, are becoming more pronounced. She has again turned to the idea of marriage, the more as an excellent offer has been repeated. But even in thinking seriously of this her