Hagar.

A woman's life may truly be said to have its commencement in betrothal.
Before then she is a child, and the days of her childhood are usually
spent without any form of restraint whatever. Most of her time, even if
she be the daughter of quite well-to-do people, is often spent playing
in the streets, where she learns much that is evil and little that is
good. The one great reason which many parents give who wish to put their
children to school is, "to keep her out of the street, where she plays
in the dirt and learns bad language." But whether she goes to school or
not the life of a little girl except in school hours is a perfectly
free, untrained life in which she learns no morality, not even obedience
to her parents. If she does obey them it is from abject fear of
punishment, when disobedience would inevitably mean a severe beating.
Between the ages of ten to fifteen, usually about twelve and often
earlier, the little girl is betrothed and then confinement to the house
begins. In one hour her life is changed, no more playing about in the
street and acting upon the impulse of her own sweet will, no more for
her the child's delight of spending her millieme or two at the
costermonger's cart and then sitting in the gutter to eat her purchase
with face and hands begrimed with dirt; no more for her the joy of
paddling in the mud by the street pump, and climbing and clambering
about wherever she can with difficulty get. No, she is betrothed now,
and her childhood and girlhood are over. Instead of freedom and
liberty, come confinement and restraint. She is not now allowed out of
doors except on rare occasions and then in company with older women, and
her movements are hampered by her being enveloped in "habarah" and
"veil."

Still she has for a time some little comfort in being the important
person of the community. She is the bride-elect and there is some
excitement in seeing the new "galibeeyahs"[C] and articles of furniture
which are to become her own special property. But then, after a few
short months, sometimes weeks, the fatal wedding day arrives, when the
child-bride is taken away from her mother and becomes the absolute
possession of a man she has often never seen, and knows nothing about.
Her woman's life is begun in earnest, and in very stern reality she
learns what it is to be in subjection, she learns by bitter experience
that she has no power now to do what she likes, and that she is
subservient to ano