"Yes, doubtless, the lower classes in China kill their children; here,
in certain districts, they insure them," Ideala concluded gravely.
"But then," said Claudia--"Oh! Ideala, I don't think you can establish
your parallel. We all know the sort of a life a Chinese lady leads."
"When the lady is not at the head of her house it is certainly
vacuous," Ideala agreed, "like the lives of our own ladies when they
are not forced to do anything. Why, at Scarborough this year they had
to take to changing their dresses four times a day; so you can imagine
how they languish for want of occupation."
"Well, at all events, English girls are not sold into a hateful form of
slavery," some one observed contentedly.
"Are they not?" Ideala rejoined with a flash. "I can assure you that
both women and men, fathers, husbands, and brothers, of the same class
in England, do sell their young girls--and I can prove it."
"We have the pull over them in the matter of marriage, then. We don't
give our daughters away against their will as they do."
"That is not a fair way of putting it. A Chinese girl expects to be so
disposed of, and accepts the arrangement as a matter of course.
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