The meal which Mr. Lister now prepared with his own hands, consisted wholly of canned meats and vegetables which he had procured from a neighbouring grocery. These he had warmed on the stove in their original packages, in order, as he explained, “to save dish-washing.” “Fourier,” he added, “was claimed by his disciples to be a truly great man, and in his ‘Division of Labour’ he did not put dish-washing into the ‘Class of Attractiveness,’ but into the ‘Class of Necessity,’ so you see I am trying to dispense with it altogether.” But the rudeness of the service or the incompleteness of the meal scarcely provoked a thought, so deeply was my mind engrossed by the consideration of the astounding facts of which I had that day for the first time been made aware. I had read and heard many times before, with a pang, of the breaking up of single households and the parting of husbands and wives by divorce, but to have the ties which bound together all men and all women sundered so suddenly, produced a groping confusion of mind that made it impossible for me to think with any continuity. I mention this fact because it may seem strange to the reader that I did not immediately pursue my inquiry as to the specific nature of the right which woman was asking of man. To tell the truth, that inquiry had for the time being entirely passed out of my mind, and I could only express such fitful ideas as came to me without any premeditation. When the simple meal was finished and the cans containing it were (manlike) tucked away in the corner of a bookshelf, we settled ourselves in easy chairs for the evening, and Mr. Lister produced cigars. After we had smoked for a few minutes in silence, I said, as the first thought that chanced to come into my mind: “I understood you to say that the Strike included all classes of women, but of course you excepted the courtesans. I cannot help wondering how the Strike affects their condition.” “Courtesans!” said Mr. Lister in a tone of deep surprise. “Don’t you know that there are no courtesans?” “No courtesans!” I exclaimed. I abruptly arose from my chair and walked aimlessly into the centre of the room. Then, partly recovering myself, I walked back and again sat down. The continuous succession of surprises which the day had brought to me had insensibly worn upon my nervous system. I repeated mechanically, more to myself than to Mr. Lister, “No courtesans!”