money and women who
sell their favours, except one to the advantage of the latter, who may
have been prompted by love, temptation, or poverty to commit actions
which the former have the impudence to ask the Law to sanction and the
Church to sanctify.

A man who marries for money is still much more despicable, because he
has not the excuse of many women, who may not have been able to
discover any other way of getting a living.

* * * * *

A woman cannot love or respect a man who allows himself to be purchased
for a title of nobility, and a man cannot love or respect a woman who
buys him, and thus degrades him in his own eyes. There is no possible
element of happiness in such marriages. If there is something in
nobility, it should be nobleness of character in those who belong to
it. What has become of the old motto _Noblesse oblige_?

* * * * *

The only chance of success in matrimony is that there should not be one
single reproach which, in the inevitable moments of friction, may ever
be hurled by one at the face of the other.

A marriage is called a match. The parties who contract it should be
matched, and should therefore choose and accept partners of their own
rank. Handsome people should not marry ugly ones. They should be equal,
with perhaps a touch of superiority in age, size, fortune, and
intellectual attainments to the man's credit--to atone for all his
shortcomings.

Mesalliances always turn out badly.

Little tiffs, sulkings, fits of temper, and even of jealousy--have as
many as you like, they will act as shovels of fuel to keep love and
interest alive; but reproaches about origin, antecedents, former
poverty, early associations, claims to gratitude especially, will only
lead to the inevitable and somewhat logical answer, 'If you married me,
I imagine it was because you thought I was as good as you.'

There is no remedy known for the harm done by such reproaches and
claims to gratitude.

CHAPTER XLV

CUPIDIANA

Stray thoughts on women, love and matrimony.

Few lovers are sure of each other. If you doubt it, listen to what they
say, and you will constantly hear them repeat: 'Do you love me?' 'Will
you always love me?' or 'How long will you love me?' They will often
wake each other in the night to repeat these questions.

* * * * *

Men should cease to be jealo