“That puts an entirely new face on the matter,” he said, trying to speak calmly. “The question, instead of merely concerning the next few weeks, concerns our whole lives.”
She tried to summon all her strength, all her faculties, for the shock of battle.
“Just so,” she answered
“Then we must go over the matter very fully,” he said. His command over himself grew more easy. He believed that what he had to do was to be patient, and talk her out of her absurdity. “You must understand, of course,” he went on, smiling at her tenderly, “that I want to support my wife, and that I am able to support my wife. I want to protect her—shield her—have her lean upon me. I want her to be the goddess of my home. The goddess of my home, Katherine! That’s what I want. You understand, dear, don’t you?”
She saw that he confidently expected her to yield to his ideal and accept it, and she now knew that she could never yield. She paused a space before she spoke, in a sort of terror of what might be the consequence of the next few moments.
“I understand you,” she said, duplicating his tone of reason. “But what shall I do in the home? I dislike housework.”
“There’s no need of your doing it,” he promptly returned. “I can afford servants.”
“Then what shall I do in the home?” she repeated.
“Take things easy. Enjoy yourself.”
“But I don’t want to enjoy myself. I want to do things. I want to work.”