task in life.  It is your work to train and encourage girls in a path as far as possible from that of the husband-hunter.  Let them marry later, if they must; but at all events you will have cleared their views on the subject of marriage, and put them in a position to judge the man who offers himself.  You will have taught them that marriage is an alliance of intellects—­not a means of support, or something more ignoble still.  But to do this with effect you must show yourself relentless to female imbecility.  If a girl gets to know that you have received back such a person as Miss Royston she will be corrupted by your spirit of charity—­ corrupted, at all events, for our purposes.  The endeavour to give women a new soul is so difficult that we can’t be cumbered by side-tasks, such as fishing foolish people out of the mud they have walked into.  Charity for human weakness is all very well in its place, but it is precisely one of the virtues that you must not teach.  You have to set an example of the sterner qualities—­to discourage anything that resembles sentimentalism.  And think if you illustrate in your own behaviour a sympathy for the very vice of character we are trying our hardest to extirpate!’

‘This is a terrible harangue,’ said Miss Barfoot, when the passionate voice had been silent for a few ticks of the clock.  ’I quite enter into your point of view, but I think you go beyond practical zeal.  However, I will help the girl in some other way, if possible.’

‘I have offended you.’

‘Impossible to take offence at such obvious sincerity.’

‘But surely you grant the force of what I say?’

’We differ a good deal, Rhoda, on certain points which as a rule would never come up to interfere with our working in harmony.  You have come to dislike the very thought of marriage—­and everything of that kind.  I think it’s a danger you ought to have avoided.  True, we wish to prevent girls from marrying just for the sake of being supported, and from degrading themselves as poor Bella Royston has done; but surely between ourselves we can admit that the vast majority of women would lead a wasted life if they did not marry.’

’I maintain that the vast majority of women lead a vain and miserable life because they do marry.’

’Don’t you blame the institution of marriage with what is chargeable to human fate?  A vain and miserable life is the lot of nearly all mortals.  Most women, whether they marry or not, will suffer and commit endless follies.’

’Most women—­as life is at present arranged for them.  Things are changing, and we try to have our part in hastening a new order.’

’Ah, we use words in a different sense.  I speak of human nature, not of the effect of institutions.’

’Now it is you who are unpractical.  Those views lead only to pessimism and paralysis of effort.’

Miss Barfoot rose.

’I give in to your objection against bringing the girl back to work here.  I will help her in other ways.  It’s quite true that she isn’t to be relied upon.’