"Sepia!" said Hesper, annoyed, "you are a worse goose than I
thought you! What have _you_ got to cry about? _You_
have not got to marry him!"
"No; I wish I had!" returned Sepia, wiping her eyes. "Then I
shouldn't lose you. I should take care of that."
"And am I likely to gain such a friend in Mr. Redmain as to
afford the loss of the only _other_ friend I have?" said
Hesper, calmly.
"Ah, Hesper! a sad experience has taught me differently, The
moment you are married to the man--as married you will be--you
all are--bluster as you may--that moment you will begin to change
into a wife--a domesticated animal, that is--a tame tabby.
Unwilling a woman must be to confess herself only the better half
of a low-bred brute, with a high varnish--or not, as the case may
be; and there is nothing left her to do but set herself to find
out the wretch's virtues, or, as he hasn't got any, to invent for
him the least unlikely ones. She wants for her own sake to
believe in him, don't you know? Then she begins to repent having
said hard words of the poor gentleman. The next thing, of course,
will be, that you begin to hate the person, to whom you said
them, and to persuade yourself she drew them out of you; and so
you break off all communication with the obnoxious person; who
being, in the present instance, that black-faced sheep, Sepia
Yolland, she is very sorry beforehand, and hates Mr.
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