Reader's Diary (Week 34)

'But some Women,' said waldo, speaking as though the words forced themselves from him at that moment, 'some Women have power.'
She lifted Her beautiful eyes to his face...
'Power!' She said, suddenly, smiting Her little hand upon the rail. 'Yes, We have power; and since We are not to expend it in tunnelling mountains, nor healing diseases, nor making laws, nor money, nor on any extraneous object, We expend it on you. you are our goods, our merchandise, our material for operating on; We buy you, We sell you, We make fools of you, We act the wily old Jew with you, We keep six of you crawling to Our little feet, and praying only for a touch of Our little hand; and they say truly, there was never an ache or pain or broken heart but a Woman was at the bottom of it. We are not to study law, nor science, nor art, so We study you. There is never a nerve or fibre in a man's nature but We know it. We keep six of you dancing in the palm of one little hand,' She said, balancing Her outstretched arm gracefully, as though tiny beings disported themselves in its palm. 'There, We throw you away, and you sink to the devil,' She said, folding her arms composedly.
(Schreiner, 1883)