Volume VII - Modernist Magazines Project

42 The Queen's Pleasurecalled her Gugglesnag. But I hope I'm much too discerningever to have applied such a sweeping generalisation to heras Ragglesnag, or such a silly, sugary sort of barffiirism asGugglegoo.""It's perfectly useless," the Queen broke out, bitterly, "toexpect a man—even a comparatively intelligent and highly-developedman, like Florimond—to understand the subtleties of a woman'snature, or to sympathise with the difficulties of her life. Whenshe isn't as crude, and as blunt, and as phlegmatic, and as insensitive,and as transparent and commonplace and all-of-one-piece, asthemselves, men always think a woman's unreasonable and capriciousand infantile. It's a little too discouraging. Here I wearmyself to a shadow, and bore and worry myself to extermination,with all the petty contemptible cares and bothers and pomps andceremonies of this tiresome little Court; and that's all the thanksI get—to be laughed at by my husband, and lectured and ridiculedin stupid allegories by Florimond ! It's a little too hard. Oh, ifyou'd only let me go away, and leave it all behind me ! I'd go toParis, and change my name, and become a concert-singer. It'sthe only thing I really care for—to sing and sing and sing. Oh,if I could only go and make a career, as a concert-singer in Paris !Will you let me ? Will you ? Will you ? " she demanded vehementlyof her husband." That's rather a radical measure to bring up for discussion atthis hour of the night, isn't it ? " the King suggested, laughing."But it's quite serious enough for you to afford to consider it.And I don't see why one hour isn't as good as another. Will youlet me go to Paris and become a concert-singer ? ""What ! And leave poor me alone and forlorn here in Vescova? Oh, my dear, you wouldn't desert your own lawful spousein that regardless manner ! "" I don't