Page:Neith Boyce--The bond.djvu/197

Rh Basil groaned. "Women have a terrific advantage to us," he said viciously. "Nothing I can do can affect you very deeply, unless I should fall in love with another woman, and I can't do that. But you could very easily nearly kill me."

"Then it's your own fault if we have that advantage," said Teresa calmly. "First, you carry on yourselves in such a fashion that, as you say, we can't take your lapses seriously. And then you put such terrific emphasis on the slightest lapse on our part. Why do you put the weapon into our hands, and then provoke us, if you don't want to get hurt?"

"Provocation, as you call it, oughtn't to count. A woman ought to be strong enough to stand for herself, for what she really deeply wants, without being influenced by another person's acts."

"Two people can't live together intimately without influencing one another, and deeply. And especially a woman, for her character isn't formed till she's married. Of course, I can see how the other person would like to feel that what he does counts for nothing, for so he gets rid of all responsibility—only it doesn't work that way."

"The Orientals manage these things better," said Basil gloomily. "A Mohammedan can take as many women into his house as he can support,