John Oliver Hobbes

“ You will be his stumbling-block."
"If I thought that, I would kill myself," said Cynthia.
Lady Theodosia waved her hand impatiently. " I thought you prided yourself on your courage. Meet your folly and conquer it. You will tell me that Godfrey is a man not easily influenced; that he of his own free will loved you, and always will love you; that he never has loved and never will love any one else. I grant all that. But all men are very much what women make them: their wills may be iron, but women don't attack them through their wills. They throw spells over their judgment. ”

“ Cynthia continued: "Of course, I can't change myself and not love you, just because you are married. There is no etiquette about loving. I shall always love you—always—always. I would tell your wife so." This idea seemed to please her. "I should be proud to tell her; but perhaps she wouldn't like it. It's a very strange thing, but although a woman may love a man herself, she can rarely forgive another woman for loving him."
"That wouldn't apply to Grace," he said, quickly; "love was a question we never raised." ”

“ How could a creature with any self-respect—quite apart from a soul—care for a Don Juan?"
"My dear Cynthia, it does not matter in the least what a man is—everything depends on what a woman thinks him to be." ”

“ She had enough sense to be conscious of this, and the knowledge was gall and wormwood; [10] for she liked to think herself proud and independent, with a mind above other people's opinions. But, as she told Lady Theodosia, in one of her rare bursts of confidence, "What is the use of despising their opinions when I am at the mercy of their giggles?" That morning Agatha's cold smile was almost more than she could bear. She was on the point of promising to go abroad, the next day if need be, when another powerful weakness—namely, obstinancy—came to the rescue. ”

“ If a man and a woman are constantly together, they must either dislike each other frankly or like each other frankly, without any beating about the bush with respect and the rest of it: that's common sense, and if they don't, one's deceitful and the other———"
"Is a fool?" said Lady Theodosia.
"No — an angel."
"Are more men than women angels?"
"All the angels we know anything about are men," said Cynthia.
"Godfrey is coming to see me the day after to-morrow," she added, presently.
"There will be trouble," said Lady Theodosia, shaking her head. " ”

“ But it is your duty to help him to forget you. Any woman can give up the world for a man—that is easy enough. When it comes to giving him up, for his own sake, it is another matter. If a woman can do that, it should atone for many sins."
Cynthia drew a long breath which sounded rather like a sob; then she went up to her bedroom. She came down half an hour later with a letter in her hand. Lady Theodosia saw that it was addressed to Godfrey. Cynthia posted it herself, as she had posted another letter nearly four years before. ”

“ When a man loses his head it generally takes him some time to find it again. He feels as though he has to recognize it among a lot of other lost heads; for the moment he is not at all certain which is the right one—his own. Woman, more dexterous, catches it on the rebound.
"I too was surprised," said Godfrey. For the rest he could only remember that he had not seen her for more than three years: that she was the same Cynthia, that he was the same Provence: that they could no longer be the same to each other. ”

“ I must say I always thought there was none of that nonsense about you."
"I never thought so either," said Cynthia; "that's the delightful part of it all. You know the story of the Sleeping Princess." [29]
"If I remember the story," said Lady Theodosia, "for one Princess asleep there was a palace full of snoring bores. And that just illustrates what I'm driving at. It is only now and then that a woman has a soul, and she generally happens in poetry and is always improper. Look at Haīdee." [30]
"You make Don Juan [31] your gospel! ”

“ Any little bit of gossip about literary people and artists and all that set is always pounced on and exaggerated. It makes them more interesting, in a low sense. You may tell me that love is stronger than death—than destruction—than the world. ”

“ Apart from the fact that her husband had been dead little more than a fortnight, and conventionality demanded that she should retire more or less from the public view for the present, or, as Agatha suggested, go abroad, Cynthia's visit to the Museum did not fill Lady Theodosia, nor the Dowager Lady Cargill, with any great surprise. [14] Cynthia went to the Museum frequently; so frequently, in fact, that Lady Cargill—prepared for the heathenish always in the case of her daughter-in-law—almost feared that she went there for the purpose of worshiping the Pagan gods. ”

“ Edward not cold in his grave, and Provence with a wife! I see nothing in the future but the Divorce Court." [25]
"Is that the trouble you mean?" said Cynthia.
"Do you suppose for one moment that love like ours takes people to the Divorce Court? How little you must know about it!"
"It is so easy to talk like that at the beginning. Human nature is human nature."
"But human nature [26] isn't love," said Cynthia.
Lady Theodosia shifted her ground. "But the look of the thing—how will it look? He will be coming here continually, and people will talk ”

“ Archaeological expeditions to Egypt, literature, museum exhibitions, and the popular press all reflected the Victorians' fascination with Egypt ("The Sphinx," Victorian Web) .↑ The crape veil was a typical garment in mourning attire.↑ "Worldly" here refers to sophistication—exposure to the elements of civilized society ("Worldly," Wiktionary) ↑ Engagement in philanthropic work was seen as a respectable activity for upper class, Victorian women because charity was a critical characteristic of ideal Victorian womanhood ("Philanthropy in Victorian Hastings," Victorian Web) . ”

“ He will be certain to find her out sooner or later, that's one comfort. I don't believe in these women who revere their husbands, and these husbands who regard their wives — that is to say if their reverence and regard are worth having. ”

“ Wikipedia) .↑ Veils made of black crape were typical components of Victorian mourning dress ("Mourning: Victorian and Georgian Eras," Wikipedia) .↑ During the Victorian period, there was a complex set of rules in place for mourning, especially for members of the upper classes. These rules extended to the entire household, from the widow/widower to the servants. Women's dress was a particularly important indicator of mourning: widows were expected to dress in mourning clothes for up to four years after their husband's death; however, they could continue to do so for the rest of their lives. ”

“ Her mother, a Moorish woman from Fez, was dead, and her father, Lambro, a rich Greek pirate, was living on one of the Cyclades. She and Juan fell in love with each other during the absence of Lambro from the island. On his return Juan was arrested, placed in a galliot, and sent from the island. Haidee went mad and, after a lingering illness, died.” ↑ Don Juan is a satiric poem by Lord Byron, based on the legend of Don Juan, which Byron reverses, portraying Juan not as a womaniser but as someone easily seduced by women. ”

“ During the Victorian era, concerns about health and the condition of the working poor were seen as increasingly important. Donations and fundraisers were critical to the establishment and maintenance of many hospitals, including London's Hospital for Sick Children.Charles Dickens's article "St. ”

“ See earlier footnote on mourning for more information on mourning clothing and customs.↑ The Victorians had a heightened interest in Egypt, colloquially termed Egyptomania. In fact, modern European interest in Egypt began with Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798. ”