mark where I had my spherical trigonometry let in. That was, I
admit, rather painful, but other things, such as English poetry or
history, can be inserted absolutely without the least suffering.
When I think of your painful, barbarous methods of education through
the ear, I shudder at it. Oddly enough, we have found lately that
for a great many things there is no need to use the head. We lodge
them--things like philosophy and metaphysics, and so on--in what
used to be the digestive apparatus. They fill it admirably."

He paused a moment. Then went on:

"Well, then, to continue, what used to occupy your time and effort
after your education?"

"Why," I said, "one had, of course, to work, and then, to tell the
truth, a great part of one's time and feeling was devoted toward the
other sex, towards falling in love and finding some woman to share
one's life."

"Ah," said the Man in Asbestos, with real interest. "I've heard about
your arrangements with the women, but never quite understood them.
Tell me; you say you selected some woman?"

"Yes."

"And she became what you called your wife?"

"Yes, of course."

"And you worked for her?" asked the Man in Asbestos in astonishment.