Then came the second Sunday of the absence in London. In the night of Saturday, Rosalie was again awakened by the sounds of Anna and again heard her praying and again heard “It is hard for women. O God, thou knowest how hard it is for women.” She had heard it so often! Anna seemed to have stopped praying. There was a light in the room and Rosalie saw that Anna, on her knees, had her head and arms thrown forward on the bed more as if she were asleep than praying. “It is hard for women.” Rosalie had heard Anna say that so often. And she was going to be a woman one day. And she had always known that men were the important and wonderful people of the world. Now Anna said that for women it was hard and that God knew it was hard. Why? She peered across again. Anna certainly had done her prayers. She said, “Anna. Anna. Why is it hard for women?” Anna started to her knees and turned her body round. “Rosalie! Why are you awake? You’ve no right to be awake.” “No, but I am. I woke up. Anna, why is it hard for women?” “You weren’t meant to hear. You couldn’t understand.” “But I would like to know, Anna.” Anna got up and came across to Rosalie’s bed; and by her manner, and by her voice, and by the tall white figure she was, frightened Rosalie. She said, “Go to sleep. You can sleep. Why don’t you when you can? One day perhaps you’ll be like me and can’t.” It reminded Rosalie of “Sleep on now and take your rest” in the Bible, and frightened her. Anna said, “It’s hard for women because men can do what they like but women can’t.” She turned away. She stood still and said with her back to Rosalie, “I’ve got a longing here.” Her hands were clasped and she brought them up and struck them against her breast with a thud. “And I always have had and I always will have. Here. Burning. Aching. And when you’ve got a longing like that you must--you must--” Then she said very violently, “I hate men. I hate them. I hate them.” Then she went very quickly to the candlestick on the dressing table and fumbled with it to blow it out, and it fell on the ground and broke and the room was black.