"It is much better to be selfish," she said earnestly. "That is where we women make such a fatal mistake. Instead of trusting to ourselves, of relying on ourselves, and of having a personal ambition, we seek always another in whom we may trust; we are unhappy till we rely on another; it is for another we cherish, we hug, ambition. And then, when all founders, we realize too late what I dare say every man knows."
"What is that?"
"That we women are fools—fools!"
"For being unselfish?"
"For thinking we have power when we are impotent."
She made a gesture that was surely one of despair.
"No one—at any rate, no woman—has power for another," she added, with
almost terrible conviction. "That is all a legend, made up to please us,
I suppose. We draw a sword against darkness and think we are fighting.
Isn't it too absurd?"
With the last words she changed her tone, trying to make it light, and she smiled.
"We take everything too seriously. That's the trouble!" she said. "And men pretend we take nothing seriously."
"Very often they don't understand."