“She relies upon exciting everyone!—she’s just a woman specialized for excitement.”
And after meditating through a profound minute upon this judgment, the Captain pronounced these two epoch-making words: “I won’t!”
§ 10
The Captain’s mind was now in a state of almost violent lucidity.
“This sex stuff,” he said; “first I kept it under too tight and now I’ve let it rip too loose.
“I’ve been just a distracted fool, with my head swimming with meetings and embraces and—frills.”
He produced some long impending generalizations.
“Not a man’s work, this Lover business. Dancing about in a world of petticoats and powder puffs and attentions and jealousies. Rotten game. Played off against some other man....
“I’ll be hanged if I am....
“Have to put women in their places....