achieve any worthy thing. Eschew all of that sort for
many a year yet. Moreover, I say, the lady of your acquaintance avoid
in particular. I have heard nothing against her moral character
hitherto; I have no doubt it has been excellent. She may have many
good qualities, both of heart and of mind. But she has, in addition
to her original disqualification as a companion for you (that is, that
of sex), these two serious drawbacks: she is much older than
yourself--'

'_Much_ older!' said Swithin resentfully.

'--and she is so impoverished that the title she derives from her late
husband is a positive objection. Beyond this, frankly, I don't think
well of her. I don't think well of any woman who dotes upon a man
younger than herself. To care to be the first fancy of a young fellow
like you shows no great common sense in her. If she were worth her
salt she would have too much pride to be intimate with a youth in your
unassured position, to say no worse. She is old enough to know that a
_liaison_ with her may, and almost certainly would, be your ruin; and,
on the other hand, that a marriage would be preposterous,--unless she
is a complete goose, and in that case there is even more reason for
avoiding her than if she were in her few senses.

'A woman of honourable feeling, nephew, would be careful to do nothing
to hinder you in your career, as this putting of herself in your way
most certainly will. Yet I hear that she professes a great anxiety on
this same future of yours as a physicist. The best way in which she
can show the reality of her anxiety is by leaving you to yourself.
Perhaps she persuades herself that she is doing you no harm. Well,
let her have the benefit of the possible belief; but depend upon it
that in truth she gives the lie to her conscience by maintaining such
a transparent fallacy. Women's brains are not formed for assisting at
any profound science: they lack the power to see things except in the
concrete. She'll blab your most secret plans and theories to every
one of her acquaintance--'

'She's got none!' said Swithin, beginning to get warm.

'--and make them appear ridiculous by announcing them before they are
matured. If you attempt to study with a woman, you'll be ruled by her
to entertain fancies instead of theories, air-castles instead of
intentions, qualms instead of opini