“But why?”
“Because it is either a boast or a lie. Both are objectionable. Keep your age to yourself. No one wants to know it, and if they do, let them find out or guess.”
“Is that what the clever women do?”
“I don’t know. If you become a clever woman at second hand, you will become an abomination.”
“What must I do then?”
“Remain stupid.”
“Then I’ll never get away.”
“Oh, no; as soon as I pointed the way I blocked it. Had you discovered it yourself, it might have been unguarded.”
“I don’t believe you would have let me through, even if I had found it out.”
“Of course not. One never believes that which touches one’s vanity.”