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242 THE ADVENTURES OP PHILIP
marriage is a sacrament, and the fond believer never speaks of it
without awe.
Now, as she expects both parties to the marriage engagement
to keep that compact holy, she no more understands trifling with it
than she could comprehend laughing and joking in a church. She
has no patience with flirtations as they are called. "Don't tell
me, sir," says the enthusiast, " a light word between a man and a
married woman ought not to be permitted." And this is why she
is harder on the woman than the man, in cases where such dismal
matters happen to fall under discussion. A look, a word from a
woman, she says, will check a libertine thought or word in a man ;
and these cases might be stopped at once if the woman but showed
the slightest resolution. She is thus more angry (I am only mentioning
the peculiarities, not defending the ethics of this individual
moralist)—she is, I say, more angrily disposed towards the woman
than the man in such delicate cases ; and, I am afraid, considers
that women are for the most part only victims because they choose
to be so.
Now, we had happened during this season to be at several
entertainments, routs, and so forth, where poor Phil, owing to his
unhappy Bohemian preferences and love of tobacco, &c, was not
present—and where we saw Miss Agnes Twysden carrying on such
a game with the tawny Woolcomb as set Mrs. Laura in a tremor
of indignation. What though Agnes's blue-eyed mamma sat near
her blue-eyed daughter and kept her keen clear orbs perfectly wide
open and cognisant of all that happened ? So much the worse for
her, the worse for both. It was a shame and a sin that a Christian
English mother should suffer her daughter to deal lightly with the
most holy, the most awful of human contracts ; should be preparing
her child who knows for what after misery of mind and soul.
Three months ago, you saw how she encouraged poor Philip, and
now see her with this mulatto !
"Is he not a man, and a brother, my dear ?" perhaps at this
Mr. Pendennis interposes.
" Oh, for shame, Pen, no levity on this—no sneers and laughter
on this the most sacred subject of all." And here, I daresay, the
woman falls to caressing her own children and hugging them to her
heart as her manner was when moved. Que voulez-vous ? There
are some women in the world to whom love and truth are all in all
here below. Other ladies there are who see the benefit of a good
jointure, a town and country house, and so forth, and who are not
so very particular as to the character, intellect, or complexion of
gentlemen who are in a position to offer their dear girls these
benefits. In fine, I say, that regarding this blue-eyed mother and