Page 485 - sons-and-lovers

‘That’s good!’ she said, with a tinge of irony. ‘By the way,
what of her husband? One never hears anything of him.’
‘He’s got some other woman, and is also quite all right,’
he replied. ‘At least, so I think.’
‘I see—you don’t know for certain. Don’t you think a po-
sition like that is hard on a woman?’
‘Rottenly hard!’
‘It’s so unjust!’ said Miriam. ‘The man does as he likes—-
‘
‘Then let the woman also,’ he said.
‘How can she? And if she does, look at her position!’
‘What of it?’
‘Why, it’s impossible! You don’t understand what a wom-
an forfeits—-‘
‘No, I don’t. But if a woman’s got nothing but her fair
fame to feed on, why, it’s thin tack, and a donkey would die
of it!’
So she understood his moral attitude, at least, and she
knew he would act accordingly.
She never asked him anything direct, but she got to know
enough.
Another day, when he saw Miriam, the conversation
turned to marriage, then to Clara’s marriage with Dawes.
‘You see,’ he said, ‘she never knew the fearful importance
of marriage. She thought it was all in the day’s march—it
would have to come—and Dawes—well, a good many wom-
en would have given their souls to get him; so why not him?
Then she developed into the femme incomprise, and treated
him badly, I’ll bet my boots.’

Sons and Lovers