not say to her, but surely would have said to others.
For years I had been the recipient of her bounty, the object of her
care, and she still thought of me as something to be protected. That
I should prefer to work, prefer to take my place in the world of
women-workers, was beyond her grasp.

"Mr. Chesmond understood when I married him--it is part of our
marriage contract--that you were to have the same advantages as his
daughter. He has very willingly given you these. If you no longer
care to accept his protection, you can marry. Opportunities such as
come to few girls have come to you. A home of your own is yours for
the taking. In my day--"

"But this is not your day!" I bit my lip. When Aunt Matilda's face
got a certain shade of red and her breath became short and quick, I
was uneasy. The doctor had warned us of the seriousness of her
condition. She was pitifully afraid of death--it was the only thing
she was afraid of--and death might come at any time. To prevent
excitement there must be with her no discussion, and, as far as
possible, no opposition to her will.

"Your day and mine are very far apart." I made effort to speak
quietly. "Women no longer have to be adjuncts to men because they
don't know how to be anything else. They can stand up now by
themselves. Conditions have forced them to face life much more--"

"Face fiddlesticks!" Aunt Matilda's hands made an impatient gesture.
"Women have no business doing what many of them are doing today.
They are forgetting the place to which they were appointed by their
Creator. But even if you were at liberty to carry out your silly
ideas, what could you do? How could you earn your living? You play
well, paint a little, read books that do you no good, and hardly
enough of the new novels to discuss them. All this sociological
stuff, those scientific things I see in your room, are absurd for a
woman to bother with. Men dislike women who think too much and know
too much. You are well educated and clever enough, but what could
you do if you were suddenly left without means of support?"

"I don't know what I could do. It's what I want to find out. Half
of my life has been spent in school and college, and during these
years I was taught little that would be of practical service in case
of need. I'd like to use part of my time trying to make educators
understand they don't educate. For cultural purposes, for acquiring
knowledge of facts, their s