Unveiling a Parallel: A Romance

onsider the nature of him

er business or official affairs; she was never cold for a purpose, any more than she was fascinating for a purpose. She was singularly sincere, affecting neither smiles nor frowns, neither affability nor severity, from remote or calculating motives. In brief, she did not employ her feminine graces, her sexpower, as speculating capital in social commerce. The social conditions in Thursia do not demand that women shall pose in a conciliatory attitude toward men-upon whose favor their dearest privileges hang. Marriage not being an e

it, which heredity and long practice enable women to use with such amazing skill that few can escape it. We expec

r remaining single; the supposition being, as in the case of a bachelor, that it is a matter of choi

is robbed of many doubts and misgivings. Still I could not accustom myself with any feeling of comfort to the situ

ernal right to cherish, and restrain, and protect, the weaker sex, as they should be cherished, and restrained, and protected. And how charming and how reliable she was, in spite of her defects! She had an atomic weight upon whi

n your superior, or a beautiful woman, admits you to the intimacy of a cordial laugh! Even her smiles, which I used to lie in wait for and often tried to provoke, were not the mere froth of a light and careless temperament; they had a significance like speech. Though she was so busy, and though she knew so well how to make the moments count, she could be idle when she chose, deliciously, luxuri

of coquetry; I might have been simply another woman, she might have been simply another man. But I was so stupid as to essay little gallantries, such as had been, in fact, a part of my youthful education; she either did not observe them or ignored them, I could not tell which. Once I

id; "I have two, which balan

e woman," I excla

I suppose-or rather you suppose-that I am

en I added, "I have often tried to fancy what e

ave had?" she asked, with quite an u

ling with the felicity of a talk so per

h a side glance at me from u

taking too gr

r womanly. What a grand opportunity, I thought, for saying some of the things

t. I should flatter you, a

I saw her face cri

the last resort-when it is found that there is nothing in one

that! Flattery is exaggerated, absurd, unmeaning praise, and

with a disd

a pretty speech from a ma

"if I but dared,-if you would allow me to tel

cut short my eloquence, a

tching furtively, saw the slight cloud pass from her face, leaving the intelligent serenity it usually wore. But still she did

nature seems to be taking a siesta. Overhead it was like the heart of a rose. The soft, white, cottony cloud

indeed, to sit so near to her and alone with her, out of hearing of all the world. But she was calmly unconscious, her gaze wandering dreamily through ha

ence with a bold, perhaps

you intend e

oving her head, and our glances met and gradually retreated, as two opposing forces might meet and retreat, neither conquering, neither vanquished. Hers we

ould I

e a woman," I a

very general, but why limit it at all, why not say beca

ious; I scrutinized her face closely

and requirements of the sexes, but it is a false hypothesis, there is a difference,-a

have been the reverse of yours. Will you kindly tell me," she added, "why you think I should wi

hen one has reached the limits of another's understandin

onclusions are based upon diverse premises; we are so wide apart in our views on

ined with an encouraging smile, "and I am grea

dged her c

nd entirely by one man who is worthy of her love, and to be united to him in the sacred bonds of marriage. To have a husband, children; to assume the sweet obligations of

not o

with the world, to wrest the means of livelihood, of comfort, luxury, from the grudging hand of fortune. It is the highe

in platitudes, but the platitud

in our common nature. It is an essential of our being. Marriage is not, it is a social institution; and just why it is incumbent upon one sex more than upon the other, or why it is more desirable for one sex than the other, is inconceivable to me. If

man say that! have you no tenderness, Elodia? no heart-need of these ties

, leaning forward a little, cla

s belong to our common nature, and I do not of course except myself. B

e direction of progress, are conventions: our clothing, our houses, our religions, arts, our good manners. And we are

e is a divine power continually operating upon human consciousness,-not disclosing miracles, but enlarg

ou mar

ied that she had been hitherto altogether too indifferent as to my "eli

than I am," she said, "and yo

u can be, and blushed like a girl. She withdrew her eyes from

to marry,

lied, the resolution cry

e future, what am I likely to see?-Let us say, a lovely daughter dying of some frightful malady; an idolized son squandering my wealth and going to ruin; a husband in whom I no longer delight, but to whom I am bound by a hundred intricate ties impossible to sever. I think I am not prepared to take the future on trust to so great an extent! Why should the free wish f

know what she was saying; did

arguments, of a selfish person, of a mean and cowardly spirit. And yo

h; I do not wish to disturb my present agreeable pose. T

of course,

able to fall in l

seen her mistres

her cheek responding to my audacious compliment; "though there may be nothing in common between you, social

lts, but I did not answer. We tacitly dropped the subject, and

st to break thi

ttraction on the physical plane-which I believe is very necessary-there should exist all the higher affinities. I should want my husband to be m

est real," I answered, "the

th a laugh. "The chance

sband or wife, I have often observed that there are compensat

as confidential, "that I am educating several children in some of our best schools, and that I mean to provide for them with sufficient liberality

with a touch

ing things-facts, bits of knowledge,-"come" to him, as we

ain question a moment ago, will you forgive m

ed slightly, which might have be

her," she said, "but you are a being from ano

unable

ke of, a little girl of si

y confession with her glan

one falling from a great height. And then suddenly relief came to me in the thought, She is not to be j

w that she is your child,

an ironical smile, "I have treated you to an exceptional confidence

no respons

or a parent not to acknowle

we have on Earth do not often ab

to lose, and consequently there is no necessity that they should sacrifice their natu

you, Elodia, could ever be moved by such unworthy considerations-that you would ever fea

ur planet acknowledge their illegitimate progeny, and a

e level of his crime. I related to her the story of his splendid and prolonged life, with its one blot of early sin, and its grace of practical repentance. And u

u speak of the man's acknowledgment of his sin as someth

joined. "He confessed his error and took his punishment with humility; she s

k the offending, repentant man, but would it not have set its foot upon the woman's neck if she had given it the chance, if she had knelt in humility as he did? A tree bears fruit after its kind; so does a code of morals. Gentleness

he magnanimity of a F

ve I the 'effrontery' of the other. But it is not so much that I lack courage; it is rath

with amazement,

id. "I believe in social ord

r own transgressio

oubt, a moral anarchy. We have a very clear sense of our responsibility to the masses. We make the laws for their government, and we allow ourselves to seem to be governed by them also

these things?" I as

re brutalities in the uncultured. The masses have no tact or delicacy, they do not comprehend shades, and refinement

hrow off your masks and stand out before them just as you are. Let moral anarchy come if it must, and

u know, I think your language must be ri

ippancy of this speec

lf to pieces, in order that a better state of morals may be built upon his ruin. We have not yet risen to such sublimity of devotion and self-sacrifice. I think the fault and the remedy both, lie more with the good people,-the people who make a principle of moral conduct. They al

tion the good have to maintain everywhere, for having accepted the championship of a cause whose standards are the highest and

ve done for you. I see more clearly now. You are the victim of the harshest and cruelest assumption that has ever been upheld concerning woman,-that her nature is no finer, holier than man's. I h

t they have got to live up

ned, in justice to my own sex. "Where men are strong, women a

step up and help themselves to such as suited their tastes. There was a great scramble, and your sex, having some advantages in the way of muscle and limb,-and not having yet acquired the arts of courtesy and gallantry for which you are now so distinguished,-pressed forward and took first choice. Naturally you selected the things which were agreeable to po

n spots in her cheeks, I felt that I had angered her,-and on the other hand, sh

dinner time," s

ng by her si

y of convallaria majalis. This led to a discussion of comparative botany on the two planets,-a safe, neutral topic. In outward appearance our mutual attitude was unchanged. Inwardly, there had

Elodia, he said, did not like the odor. I wondered whether he took such pains out of consideration for her, or whether he simply dreaded her power to ret

a and I had discussed that I could not f

men and women have one common nature,-that women are no better at all than m

k you may in any of the savage countries, where I am quite positive the women exhibit no finer q

or likeness rather, exist in Ca

teaching and preaching tend toward that, as you may find in our churches and schools, and in our literature. I am so much of an optimist as to believe that we are getting better and better all the t

ve of concealme

power in society is the stronger; that it is making the wa

theory on the same subject. The two differe

e that one half of humanity should hang upon the skirts of the other half; it

here are always some that must bear

ecial indulgences. That-pardon me!-is the fault I find with your civilization; you make your women the chancellors of virtue, and claim for your sex the privilege of being virtuous or not, as you choose." He s

e. As individuals, we are woman's devoted slaves, and lovers, and worshipers; as a political body, we

an insupportable agony, he catches at the flimsiest delusions for momentary relief. He says to himself, "My friend is not dead!" "My beloved is not false!" So I tried to cheat myself. I argued, "Why, this is only a matter of education with me, surely; how many women, with finer instincts than mine, have loved and married men of exactly the same stamp as Elodia!" But I put away the thought with a shudder, feeling that it would be a far m