reflected on the importance of what they are doing. I think that both
marriage and divorce are too easily managed in consideration of their
importance to a man's life, and I am convinced that no civilised man of
Western education, if he were to adopt Islam, would take advantage of
his change of faith to marry four wives. It is a case of theory _versus_
practice, which I will not attempt to explain. It may often be good in
logic, but it seems to me it is very often bad in real life."

"Yes," said Isaacs; "there are cases----" He stopped, and Miss
Westonhaugh, who had been very busy over her work, looked quietly up,
only to find that he was profoundly interested in the horses cropping
the short grass, as far as the saice would let them stretch their necks,
on the other side of the lawn.

"I confess," said Miss Westonhaugh, "that my ideas about Mohammedans are
chiefly the result of reading the Arabian Nights, ever so long ago. It
seems to me that they treat women as if they had no souls and no minds,
and were incapable of doing anything rational if left to themselves. It
is a man's religion. My uncle says so too, and he ought to know."

The conversation was meandering in a kind of vicious circle. Both Isaacs
and I were far too deeply interested in the question to care for such
idle discussion. How could this beautiful but not very intellectual
English girl, with her prejudices and her clumsiness at repartee or
argument, ever comprehend or handle delicately so difficult a subject? I
was disappointed in her. Perhaps this was natural enough, considering
that with two such men as we she must be entirely out of her element.
She was of the type of brilliant, healthy, northern girls, who depend
more on their animal spirits and enjoyment of living for their happiness
than upon any natural or acquired mental powers. With a horse, or a