“‘It is the most beautiful service in the world,’ I stoutly maintained; ‘pray what can you object to in it?’
“‘In the first place, the giving away of the bride is a humiliating thing,’ she said: ‘it is a relic of the feudal times, when a woman actually was given away. It implies dependence; a woman is thus simply passed along from the guardianship of one man to that of another.’
“This was a novel idea which impressed me at first as being needlessly crotchety. ‘Then, of course,’ I replied, ‘you object to the promise to obey.’
“‘Certainly,’ said Mildred. ‘I should not respect myself if I could make such a promise. Obedience implies authority, and a man and his wife are equal. They do not stand in the relation of master and servant, employer and employee, or parent and child.’
“‘Yes; but it doesn’t mean anything,’ I expostulated, ‘it is simply a form.’
“‘So much the worse,’ was her uncompromising answer. ‘I will have no idle forms, no humiliating promises which I should not intend to keep. If I ever find the man whom I can marry, I think I shall love him enough not to be selfish and willful, and he will love me enough to respect me as his equal. There can be no question of authority and obedience in the true marriage.
“‘Then, moreover,’ she said, ‘I object to the man’s making the promise, “With all my worldly goods I thee endow.” In nine cases out of ten he does nothing of the sort, and the wife usually asks for every dollar that she gets!’
“So you perceive that after hearing her say this I was not so much astounded as the rest of you were,” I concluded.
“Well,” said Alice, drawing a long breath and looking meditatively at the diamond engagement-ring on her white finger, “I never in my life saw such an extraordinary girl as Mildred.
“Now, I have vowed that I would never be married but by that beautiful time-honored service. Dear me! if we all took everything to heart as literally as she does, what would become of society?”