"People cannot bear," replied her ladyship, "to be expected to understand what, in reality, they do not, and are ashamed to confess: it mortifies their self-love. I am persuaded, if all gay badinage were prefaced by an explanation, it would be infinitely better received."
"Why," said Lady Marchmont, "that would be sending the arrow the wrong way."
"A very common way of doing things in this world," was the answer; "and," she added, "I do not care about being popular: and, indeed, rather like being hated; it gives me an opportunity of using up epigrams which would otherwise be wasted. Our enemies, at least, keep our weapons in play: but for their sake, the sarcasm and the sword would alike rust in the scabbard."
"I care much more for being generally liked than you do," said Henrietta.
"I do not care about it all," replied Lady Mary; "if I did, I should not say the things that I do; but, next to amusing, I like to astonish."
