Hoffland listened to these earnest words more thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "so Sir Galahad is your model--not the mad worshipper of woman, Orlando!" "A thousand times." "Ah! we have neither now." "We have no Galahads, for woman has grown stronger even than in the old days. She would not tolerate a lover who espoused her cause from duty: she wants adoring worship." "No! no!--only love!" said Hoffland. "A mistake," said Mowbray; "she does not wish a mere knightly respect and love--that of the real knight; she demands an Amadis, to grow mad for her--to be crazed by her beauty, and kneel down and sell himself for a kiss. She wishes power, and scouts the mere chivalric smile and homage. She claims and exacts the fullest obedience, and her claim is pronounced just. She says to-day--returning to what we commenced with--she says, 'Go and murder that man: he has uttered a jest;' or, 'On penalty of my pity and contempt, make yourself the slave of my caprice, and kill your friend, who has said laughing that I am not an angel.' The unhappy part of all this is," said Mowbray, "that the men, especially young men, obey. And then, when the blood is poured out, the tragedy consummated; when the body which was a breathing man is taken from the bloody grass where it lies like a wounded bird, its heart-blood welling out--when it is home cold and pale before her, and the mother, sister, daughter wail and moan--then the beautiful goddess who has gotten up this little drama for her amusement, finds her false philosophy broken in her breast, her deity overthrown, her supreme resolution crushed in presence of this terrible spectacle; and she wrings her hands, and sobs and cries out at the evil she has done; but cries much louder, that the hearts of men are horrible and bloody; that their instincts are barbarous and terrible; that she alone is tender and soft-hearted and forgiving; that she would never have plunged the sword into the bosom, or sent the ball tearing its way through the heart; that man alone is horrible and cruel and depraved; that she is noble and pure-hearted, true and innocent; that woman is above this miserable humanity--great like Diana of the Ephesians, pure and strong and immaculate--without reproach! That is a tolerably accurate history of most duels," added Mowbray coldly; "you will not deny it." Hoffland made no reply.