On the subject of such unqualified obedience, her friend Tui did not hesitate to express herself strongly, for she was an independent young lady with ideas the reverse of favourable to what she termed family slavery. That any parent should command or expect to receive blind and unquestioning obedience was not her way of thinking. She was, therefore, exceedingly wrathful at her friend's decision. "When a human being arrives at years of sense, he has every right to shape his own life," said she, _ex cathedra_. "Our religion teaches us that every one has to answer for his own sins, therefore certainly he should choose his own wickednesses." "You speak in the masculine sense, dear," rejoined Olive; "besides, I do not intend to commit any sin, that I am aware of." "I speak for woman as well as for man, Olive; and if you marry a creature you don't care two straws about, you will be committing a sin, and a very great one." "Oh, Tui, darling!" "It's no use saying, 'Oh, Tui, darling,'" replied Miss Ostergaard, vehemently; "you know in your own heart that I am right. Do you or do you not love Laurence Mallow?" "I do, with all my soul." "Then why don't you marry him?" "He hasn't asked me yet," replied Olive, with attempted carelessness. "I do not even know if he loves me." "My dear, you know well enough that he does. Why, he would give his ears to make you his wife; and it is only his scruples about this wretched engagement that makes him hold his tongue. Believe me, obedience can be carried too far, Olive, and it is absurd and wrong that you should wreck your life just because your father commands you to marry the son of an old friend of his." "But the sealed letter, Tui!" "Oh, that's a bogey. What evil can come to you? You have your own money, good health, and the love of a most delightful man. I should defy that letter." "But you forget I shall lose fifty thousand pounds, dear." "What of that?" reported the romantic Tui. "I am sure Mr. Mallow is worth paying that price for. He's a darling, I think. If you don't marry him, Olive, I'll make love to him myself--there!" "What about Lord Aldean?" "Lord Aldean is a donkey--a dear, sweet donkey, all the same. He is too young to know his own mind." "Indeed, he is two or three years your senior." "Well, I never; as if you didn't know that a woman is always twice the age of a man. But you are getting away from the subject. Do you really intend marrying this horrid Mr. Carson?" "I must," sighed Olive, ruefully; "my father----" "Oh dear me, your father again!" interrupted Tui, pettishly, "as if he had anything to do with it. There is too much talk of obedient children, and not enough of reasonable parents. Why should people be born when they don't want to, just to be miserable slaves to those who put them in the world against their will?" "Would you marry against your father's will?"