The Unknown Quantity

“My dear,” said Lady Varleigh impressively, “take my advice—it is founded upon considerable experience—don’t leave the matter too long! There’s just as much fun to be had after marriage as before it. Now if I had married young, it would have been a very different story. Whereas I have had to divorce two husbands in ten years—not because it’s the fashion, but simply because I was too bored to put up with them.” She sighed. “There’s nothing so dreadful as boredom, dear. It’s worse than temperance—much; by which most inappropriate term I refer to total abstinence. Which reminds me, darling, I’ve promised to open an awful debate this evening down at the Institute on—what do you think?—how to keep our men-folk out of the public-house, and I’m sure I haven’t the vaguest idea what to suggest unless all the feminine portion go too; that might do it, poor dears! And dear, good Sir Philip will be in the chair—think of it! It goes to my heart to shock him, but what  can one do? Yes, you may laugh, Jeannette. But when you are married to a county magnate, you’ll know what it means.”