"Why so, Stefan?"
"Court fetters a man as a chain does a dog, and is unnatural, while a woman is the keenest weapon in all the devil's armory."
"I have heard some well spoken of," said Grigosie.
"And they are the most dangerous," said Stefan. "Why do you suppose women were made pretty and fashioned to wear pretty clothes?"
"Indeed I cannot tell."
"To conceal their natural defects, lad. Whenever you see a pretty woman, look at the next harridan you meet, and remember that the difference between them is only on the surface."
"You are too hard, Stefan," said Grigosie, laughing heartily.
"Wisdom, youngster—the ripe wisdom of experience."
"I wonder whether the Captain is of your way of thinking, Stefan."
"I have seen him pause in the midst of his drink sometimes, which has made me anxious."