Petty Troubles of Married Life, part 2, page 1 by Honoré de Balzac
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OK PETTY TROUBLES OF MARRIED LIFE ***
Etext prepared by Dagny, dagnypg@yahoo.com and John Bickers, jbickers@ihug.co.nz
PETTY TROUBLES OF MARRIED LIFE, SECOND PART By Honore de Balzac
Etext prepared by Dagny, dagnypg@yahoo.com and John Bickers, jbickers@ihug.co.nz
PETTY TROUBLES OF MARRIED LIFE
SECOND PART
BY
HONORE DE BALZAC
PREFACE
If, reader, you have grasped the intent of this book,--and infinite honor is done you by the supposition: the profoundest author does not always comprehend, I may say never comprehends, the different meanings of his book, nor its bearing, nor the good nor the harm it may do--if, then, you have bestowed some attention upon these little scenes of married life, you have perhaps noticed their color--
"What color?" some grocer will doubtless ask; "books are bound in yellow, blue, green, pearl-gray, white--"
Alas! books possess another color, they are dyed by the author, and certain writers borrow their dye. Some books let their color come off on to others. More than this. Books are dark or fair, light brown or red. They have a sex, too! I know of male books, and female books, of books which, sad to say, have no sex, which we hope is not the case with this one, supposing that you do this collection of nosographic sketches the honor of calling it a book.
Thus far, the troubles we have described have been exclusively inflicted by the wife upon the husband. You have therefore seen only the masculine side of the book. And if the author really has the sense of hearing for which we give him credit, he has already caught more than one indignant exclamation or remonstrance:
"He tells us of nothing but vexations suffered by our husbands, as if we didn't have our petty troubles, too!"
Oh, women! You have been heard, for if you do not always make yourselves understood, you are always sure to make yourselves heard.
It would therefore be signally unjust to lay upon you alone the reproaches that every being b