a joy, an
intoxicating and an incomparable joy, to a husband. That woman is even
more beautiful physically than she ever was, and her beauty is of such
a different type from what it was at twenty that I can very well
understand how a husband can seriously fall in love with his wife a
second time. All this is truth, my dear fellow. And don't even be
afraid of white hair. With a good complexion, a cheerful expression,
and two big black eyes, nothing goes better than white hair, and the
whiter it is the better.

And, you will say, at what age should a man marry? Well, at all events,
never before he is quite prepared to provide for a wife, whatever her
position may be. When this indispensable condition is satisfied, I
shall say never, or seldom, before thirty. Never try matrimony as an
experiment--that is to say, never before you are absolutely certain you
will prefer it to all the rest. I heard the other day a very good piece
of advice, which I should like to repeat here, as I endorse it
thoroughly: A man should marry a woman half his age, _plus_ seven.
Try it at whatever age you like, and you will find it works very well,
taking for granted all the while that, after all, a man as well as a
woman is the age that he looks and feels.

Never marry a woman richer than you, or one taller than you, or one
older than you. Be always gently superior to your wife in fortune, in
size, and in age, so that in every possible way she may appeal to you
for help or protection, either through your purse, your strength, or
your experience of life. Marry her at an age that will always enable
you to play with her all the different characteristic parts of a
husband, a chum, a lover, an adviser, a protector, and just a tiny
suspicion of a father.

CHAPTER V

ON THE SELECTION OF LIFE PARTNERS

Be as careful in choosing your partners as you would in choosing
your ancestors--Count your change before entering, as mistakes
cannot be recognised afterwards.

In choosing their partners for life, people should be as careful as in
choosing their ancestors. To give advice in the matter, however, is a
very delicate task to undertake.

You see, there is no probation allowed by the laws and customs of
civilized nations, and we have to put aside at once the best piece of
advice that could be given on the subject, which is: 'Go and have a
try, and if you don't like it, why, give it up and try something else.'
What a progress it wi