Laura, thou knowest the sacredness of love:
Love is the one thing in the world which women
Must guard from profanation; for by love
They rule; and if they trifle with their power,
They come to be men’s chattels, not their queens.
Thou’lt soon be married, Laura, and I can talk
Freely of these things: I have taught thee the religious
And philosophic doctrines; but to-day
We deal with facts. And first, then, I rejoice
Thy husband will be a man whom thou wilt rule,