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Ziska by Marie Corelli
page 205 of 240 (85%)

"Means no lovers and no fun!" said Gervase gayly. "And the
possibility of a highly decorous marriage with a curate or a
bankclerk, followed by the pleasing result of a family of little
curates or little bank-clerks. It is not a dazzling prospect!"

The Doctor smiled grimly; then after a wavering moment of
indecision, broke out into a chuckling laugh.

"You have an odd way of putting things," he said. "But I'm afraid
you may be right in your estimate of the position. Quite as many
women are as miserably sacrificed on the altar of virtue as of
vice. It is 'a mad world,' as Shakespeare says. I hope the next
life we pass into after this one will at least be sane."

"Well, if you believe in Heaven, you have Testament authority for
the fact that there will be 'neither marriage nor giving in
marriage' there, at any rate," laughed Gervase. "And if we wish to
follow that text out truly in our present state of existence and
become 'as the angels of God' we ought at once to abolish
matrimony."

"Have done! Have done!" exclaimed the Doctor, still smiling,
however, notwithstanding his protest. "You Southern Frenchmen are
half barbarians,--you have neither religion nor morality."

"Dieu merci!" said Gervase, irreverently; then turning to the
Princess Ziska, he bowed low and with a courtly grace over the
hand she extended towards him in farewell. "Good-night,
Princess!"--then in a whisper he added: "To-morrow I shall await
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