pentance does not as often
follow the leisurely marriages as it does the rapid ones. That some
repent no one can doubt; but I am inclined to believe that most men
and women take their lots as they find them, marrying as the birds
do by force of nature, and going on with their mates with a general,
though not perhaps an undisturbed satisfaction, feeling inwardly
assured that Providence, if it have not done the very best for them,
has done for them as well as they could do for themselves with all
the thought in the world. I do not know that a woman can assure to
herself, by her own prudence and taste, a good husband any more than
she can add two cubits to her stature; but husbands have been made
to be decently good,--and wives too, for the most part, in our
country,--so that the thing does not require quite so much thinking
as some people say.

That Alice Vavasor had thought too much about it, I feel quite sure.
She had gone on thinking of it till she had filled herself with a
cloud of doubts which even the sunshine of love was unable to drive
from her heavens. That a girl should really love the man she intends
to marry,--that, at any rate, may be admitted. But love generally
comes easily enough. With all her doubts Alice never doubted her love
for Mr Grey. Nor did she doubt his character, nor his temper, nor his
means. But she had gone on thinking of the matter till her mind had
become filled with some undefined idea of the importance to her of
her own life. What should a woman do with her life? There had arisen
round her a flock of learned ladies asking that question, to whom it
seems that the proper answer has never yet occurred. Fall in love,
marry the man, have two children, and live happy ever afterwards.
I maintain that answer has as much wisdom in it as any other that
can be given;--or perhaps more. The advice contained in it cannot,
perhaps, always be followed to the letter; but neither can the advice
of the other kind, which is given by the flock of learned ladies who
ask the question.

A woman's life is important to her,--as is that of a man to him,--not
chiefly in regard to that which she shall do with it. The chief thing
for her to look to is the manner in which that something shall be
done. It is of moment to a young man when entering life to decide
whether he shall make hats or shoes; but not of half the moment that
will be that other decision, whether he shall make good shoes or bad.
And so with a woman