mental ass, slobbered over by men and called ‘that sweet thing,’ everybody would let me alone. But I can’t be that thing. I look at women like that and they make me sick. I’m sorry I don’t want children, but I don’t want them. I’m afraid of them. Children do awful things to you. There are two things in this world that kill courage in people, children and possessions. And I won’t have either of them. The terrible thing about possessions is that once you acquire them you will sell your soul to keep them, and the terrible thing about children is that you want possessions for them you never had for yourself, and so you get fears for them you never had for yourself.”
“Yes, a number of the old religious orders had that idea.”
“I don’t care who had it. I’ve learned it from watching the people about me. All the fight goes out of people when they get a house and furniture and a child or two. I mean the fight about ideas. Of course they fight more than ever for a bigger house and more furniture.”
“All right, dear. What has all that got to do with marrying me? We’ve settled the children, and my possessions are willed to the Sydney Museum. Under no circumstances can you have them. I’ve only just enough income to feed you. I shall have to work overtime to buy you jewellery ———”
Valerie laughed helplessly.
“Oh, Dane, what am I to do with you? You don’t see it at all. I want to go on with my work. I want to stay on the paper.”
“Well, stay on it, if you want to, as long as you want to. And, my dear child, I’m not supposing we are any different from lots of other people. Love will change with us, and if it becomes something you want no longer, well, I want you to understand that you will be free to go. I
