The Woman Destroyed

They have some vague kind of a job; they claim to use their minds, to go in for sport, dress well, run their houses faultlessly, bring up their children perfectly, carry on a social life—in short, succeed on every level. It is the fate common to all mothers; but who has ever found comfort in saying that hers is the common fate? The war had kept him back; he was beginning to find his studies exasperating—he wanted an adult life. But then how can he think a great deal of Noëllie, who is of the same kind as Maryse?