m the whole time; it is like fighting
a duel. You have to keep staring into their eyes to see what they are
thinking of or where they are putting their hands. They are
blackguards, if you like, but they love us better than you do.'

"A singular and unexpected sensation stole over me. Although a
bachelor, and determined to remain a bachelor, I suddenly felt in my
breast the spirit of a husband in the face of this impudent
confidence. I felt myself the friend, the ally, the brother of all
these confiding men who are, if not robbed, at least defrauded by all
the rufflers of woman's waists.

"It is this strange emotion, monsieur, that I am obeying at this
moment, in writing to you, and in begging of you to address a warning
note to the great army of easy-going husbands.

"However, I had still some lingering doubts. This woman was drunk and
must be lying.

"I went on to inquire: 'How is it that you never relate these
adventures to anyone, you women?'

"She gazed at me with profound pity, and with such an air of sincerity
that, for the moment, I thought she had been soberized by
astonishment.

"'We--But, my dear fellow, you are very foolish. Why do we never talk
to you about these things? Ha! ha! ha! Does your valet tell you about
his tips, his odd sous? Well, this is our little tip. The husband
ought not to complain when we don't go farther. But how dull you are!
To talk of these things would be to give the alarm to all ninnies! Ah!
how dull you are!... And then what harm does it do as long as we don't
yield?'

"I felt myself in a great state of great confusion as I put this
question to her:

"'So then you have often been embraced by men?'

"She answered, with an air of sovereign contempt for the man who could
have any doubt on the subject:

"'Faith!--Why, every woman has been often embraced.... Try it on with
any of them, no matter whom, in order to see for yourself, you great
goose! Look here! embrace Mme. de X! She is quite young, and quite
virtuous. Embrace, my friend--embrace, and touch, you shall see. Ha!
ha! ha!'

* * * * *

"All of a sudden she flung her glass straight at the chandelier. The
champagne fell down in a shower, extinguished three wax-candles,
stained the hangings, and deluged the table, while the broken glass
was scattered about the dining-room. Then, she made an effort to seize
the bottle to do the same with it, but I prevented her. After that,
she burst