"It comes from their vanity," Miss Vivian went on, as if she had not
heard him. "They wish to appear agreeable and get credit for cleverness
and tendresse, no matter how silly it would be for another person to
believe them."

Bernard was a good deal amused, and a little nettled.

"Women, then," he said, "have rather a fondness for producing a bad
impression--they like to appear disagreeable?"

His companion bent her eyes upon her fan for a moment as she opened and
closed it.

"They are capable of resigning themselves to it--for a purpose."

Bernard was moved to extreme merriment.

"For what purpose?"

"I don't know that I mean for a purpose," said Miss Vivian; "but for a
necessity."

"Ah, what an odious necessity!"

"Necessities usually are odious. But women meet them. Men evade them and
shirk them."

"I contest your proposition. Women are themselves necessities; but they
are not odious ones!" And Bernard added, in a moment, "One could n't
evade them, if they were!"