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Allen, James Lane, 1849-1925

"The Choir Invisible"

You run every butterfly
down and break it on an iron wheel; after you have broken it, it doesn't
matter: everything is as it was before, except that you have lost time and
strength. The only things that need trouble us very much are not the things
it is right to conquer, but the things it is wrong to conquer. If you ever
conquer in yourself anything that is right, that will be a real trouble for
you as long as you live--and for me!"
He turned quickly and sat facing her, the muscles of his face moving
convulsively. She did not look at him, but went on:
"The last time you were here, you told me that I did not appreciate Amy;
that I could not do her justice; but that no woman could ever understand why
a man loved any other woman."
"Did I say that?" he muttered remorsefully.
"It was because you did not appreciate he--it was because you would never be
able to do her justice--that I was so opposed to the marriage. And this was
largely a question of little things. I knew perfectly well that as soon as
you married Amy, you would begin to expect her to act as though she were
made of iron: so many pieces, so many wheels, so many cogs, so many
revolutions.


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