I have a friend, an old pupil, a truly intellectual woman, who has not broken down under much more brain-work, since she left school, than she ever performed in school. Her husband greatly enjoys her intellectual tastes, and, without stint or jealousy, encourages them; only he would not have her "odd," nor so very different from "other ladies of our acquaintance." He would have her study; he "doesn't believe a woman should fall back in her intellectual life any more than a man." He would have her paint, and practise, and study; and since he provides abundant help, he thinks she may. He will buy any book, or set of books, to aid her; but he would have her wear her hair as "other ladies wear theirs, and not give occasion for all those flings about women who want to know so much," and go with their hair about their faces and themselves at "sixes and sevens," generally. "And why can't she wear her hair put up?" "Sit down, and I will tell you why," she said, one day, rather out of sorts; he did not yield very ready compliance. But she persuaded him to permit her to illustrate her "why." He sat down, and she began by twisting his abundant curls into a knot as tight as could well be held by a strong hair-pin. This was the "underpinning" on which to rear the structure. So, with "switch" upon "switch," and "braid" surrounding "braid," a "frizz" here and a "frizz" there, with a few bows for capitals, and a few curls for streamers, and twenty-four hair-pins for fastenings and bracing-rods, the tower was finished, in less than half the time, as she assured him, owing to the advantageous position she enjoyed in her work, that it would take her to rear the same structure on her own head, and it was precisely like what other ladies of their acquaintance wore. "Good gracious!" he exclaimed, "you do not pretend that women wear all this false pile on their heads!" "Yes, I not only pretend, but solemnly assure you that I have not exceeded by a braid or a curl what most of the ladies of our acquaintance wear on their heads." "Well, what do women want to be such fools for?" he asked impatiently. "What did you want me to be such a fool for?" she answered. "Well, take down the thing and let me go," he said, "you may wear your hair as you please, I have learned _why_ enough for one day." "No, stay and let us read that chapter of Mill on 'Liberty' that we were going to read together sometime," she said. "Liberty! I think so. I wouldn't wear that thing half a day for all the profits of my business for a year!" "Well, then, we'll let Mill go, for I think if I have taught you _why_, with all that toggery on my head, I can't do anything, I have done enough for one day," she said.