‘And Women Must Weep’ (‘For men must work’) (1931) Henry Handel Richardson The Australian writer Ethel Florence Robertson wrote wnder a man’s name: Henry ‘Handel Richardson. She avec known for her novel The Getting of Wisdom, about a girl growing uP in the outback of Australia. Her eee er Maurioe Guest asa great sucess inher day ands well worth readin The ttle is a quotation from ‘a poem by the Victorian poet Charles Kingsley: “But men must ‘work and women must weep.” This short story ssrmnay and painfly evokes situation many wil recognise: girl at her ist dance. She was ready at last, the last bow tied, the last strengthening pin in place, and they said to her - Auntie Cha and Miss Bidddons ~ to sit down and rest while Auntie Cha saimbed into her own togs’: ‘Or you'll be tired before the evening begins” But she could not bring herself to sit, for fear of crushing her dress — it was so light, so airy. How glad vihe felt now that she had chosen muslin, and not silk as Auntie Cha had tried to persuade her. The gossamer-like stuff seemed to float around her as she moved, and the cut of the dress made her look so tall and so different from everyday that she hardly recognised herself in the glass; the girl reflected there — in palest blue, with a wreath of cornflowers in her hair - might have been a stranger. Never had she thought she was so pretty . . . Nor had Auntie and Miss Biddons either; though all they said was: “Well, Dolly, you'll do, and: ‘Yes, I think she will be a credit to you.’ Something hot and stinging came up her throat at this: a of gratitude for her skin, her big blue eyes and fair curly hair, and pity for those girls who hadn’t Oran Auntie Cha either, to dress them and see that everything was ‘just so”. ‘ . Instead of sitting, she stood very stiff and straight at the window, pretendin: to watch for the cab, her long white Senet ioas mae to soil hem But es a peatag pit-a-pat, For this was her first real grown-up ball. It was to be ene ane, staying, had bought tickets and Wes ig: ‘Now mind you dont “six. And in the wagonel® Scanned with CamScanneree «effin one seat, Auntie Chas theo : fi i the oy . rious. Or you'll frighten the a SE a off” . doing it now because of hi ier dress: cabs : cabs were so cramped, the seats So ‘And Women Must Weep’ 25 anbet % eo Hook t00 5 ‘a she 88 only 0 ‘alas! im getting out a little accident happened. in he sk |. She caught the bottom of one of her E irt was made of nothing else ~ i fae ‘auntie Cha said: “My dear, Neate RaMR GRrSRETTE ec oe cae who took their cloaks hunted everywhere, but could on! at eaivedge ~ there was nearly half a yard of it ~ had are tae Fo and when they went into the hall and walked seas ce Se II round, staring, it seemed to Dolly as if every one had ee down in the front row of chairs beside a lady-friend; but e wom) ton; so the tOFT ss left Ta edge, a foor, with people sitting al yes fixed OM jt. Auntie Cha sat Gesld into a chair behind. heist dance was already VES tobe taken for the second. Shyly she ted the woman to exclaim: ‘What a sweet pretty Tae did say was: “This Sort a huts bound to fray’) And now Dolly saw that the hal 4 sfull of fovely dresses, some ‘amuch, much prettier than hers, which suddenly Pees to seem rather t00 plain, even a little dowdy; perhaps after all it would have been better to tie suddenly turned and looked fave chosen silk. She wondered i 00. For Aunt ather quite hard, and then said snappily: ‘Come, come, child, you mustn't tuck you aay lke that, or the gentlemen ‘will think you don’t want {© dance.’ So she had to €0 out and sit in the front; ‘and show that she had a programme, by holding it open l When other ladies were being reques! tpbeintroduced, Auntie began making signs of Ceremonies — a funny. little fat man with a brij foor and Auntie whispered to him behind her fan. (But sh answer: ‘Wants partner? Why, certainly.) And then he went him offering her to several gentlemen. Some pointed © the] orstanding in front of; some showed their programmes Wer Ei and looked at her. But it was n¢ good. So he a kg me the favour?” ‘and she had to look gl ar with him, Perhaps she was @ i a round eyes at her. But she felt sure every One tras thelancers, too, and he swung her off her 651 ie sel to partners — putting one ‘hand on his hip and the ot icing the homnpipe - and the rest of the set laughed: 5 fe g0 back to her place- d intie Cha’s lady-friend had a son» and he was ‘hispering, But he was engaged to be married, bowed — 10 | iSfancée, When he came and -t0 9 in “May I have | and did i 4idn't trouble to say all of and they were hardly seated before partners began ‘mustered the assembly. In the cloakroom, she had frock!’ when she handled it. (When Scanned with CamScannersand Women Must Weep" 4 oc ery pleased, though she didn’t fog» Certainly, en aA he didn't, and that it i wt - ate si Hs they went round he was explaining things to the Other at sides, al the ie er her head. She saw him quite plainly. i ere vad Auntie had to talk to him again —he yeny ‘ust stood looking on. And this one and as soon as they stood up, saig aia with his eyes ‘After he had brought her back gentleman who hadn't danced at all yet, but ji asion, He was ugly, and lanky, : 4 See ena canly good at this kind of thing, you know. And he wasn’t. He into the most dreadful muddle, right ther out of step, and they got into the t ful muddle, right Fietouadke at the floor. It was a waltz, and remembering what Miss Biddons had sai she .d then went wrong herself and had to say: I beg you, she got more and more nervous, anc’ t g | pardon,’ to which he said: ‘Granted.’ She saw them in a mirror as they passed, and her face was red as red. ti It didn’t get cool again either, for she had to go on sitting out, and she felt sure he was spreading it that she couldn’t dance. She didn’t know whether Auntie Cha had seen her mistakes, but now Auntie sort of went for her. ‘It’s no use, Dolly, if you don’t do your share. For goodness sake, try and look more agreeable!’ So after this, in the intervals between the dances, she sat with a stiff little smile gummed to her lips. And, did any likely-looking partner approach the corner where they were this widened till she felt what it was really saying was: ‘Here I am! Oh, please take me!’ She had several false hopes. Men, looking so splendid in their white shirt fronts, would walk across the floor and seem to be coming . . . and then it was always not her. Theit eyes wouldn't stay on her. There she sat, with her false little smile, and her eyes! a them; but theirs always got away . . . flitted past ... moved on. Once she fe Ever such a handsome young man looked at her as if he was making s She stretched her lips, showing all her teeth (they were very good) and eyes seemed to linger . . , really take her in, in her pretty blue dress And then at the last minute they ran away — and it wasn’t her at all, bi a ies & pease yan even pretty, or her dress either, Bi 5 _ Quite the ee Part a ; ita We va a a 4 4 wc all was having to itting in the fr ‘you were enjoying yourself. It was so aed to ie ee ne hing but the floor for them to look at Scanned with CamScanner‘And Women Must Weep’ 25 so ste i ea Seat eee iB this she clung, sitting the while syishins ambeeaigasiel and her hair grey, like Auntie Cha’s. ody expected Au a‘ ‘© dance, or thought it shameful if she didn’t; she could 0 ad’ ‘be just he liked. Yes, to-night she wished she was old. . . an old, old woman. oat she Was Safe at home in bed . . this dreadful evening, to which she had once OF Med the day behind her, Even, as the night wore on, tht she was dead "Ausupper she sat with Auntie and the other lady, and the son and girl came too. There yer lovely cakes and things, but she could not eat them, Her throat was so dry that a erjwich stuck in it and nearly choked her, Perhaps the son felt a little sorry for her (or Sie his mother had whispered again), for afterwards he said something to the girl, and yen asked her to dance. They stood up together; but it wasn’t a success. Her legs seemed I have forgotten how to jump, heavy as lead they were... as heavy as she felt inside... ind she couldn’t think of a thing to say. So now he would put her down as stupid as well. Her only other partner was a boy younger than she was ~ almost a schoolboy — who sne heard them say was ‘making a positive nuisance of himself.’ This was to a very pretty called the “belle of the ball’, And he didn’t seem to mind how badly he danced (with er), for he couldn't take his eyes off this other girl; but went on staring at her all the time, di very fiercely, because she was talking and laughing with somebody else. Besides, he fopped like a grasshopper, and didn’t wear gloves, and his hands were hot and sticky. She adn’t come there to dance with little boys. ‘They left before anybody else; there was nothing to stay for. And the drive home in the agonette, which had to be fetched, they were so early, was dreadful; Auntie Cha just sat «pressed her lips and didn't say a word. She herself kept her face turned the other way, cause her mouth was jumping in and out as if it might have to cry. ‘Atthe sound of the wheels Miss Biddons came running to the front door with questions «J exclamations, dreadfully curious to know why they were back so soon. Dolly fled to +r own little room and turned the key in the lock. She wanted only to be quite alone... ere nobody could see her . . . where nobody would ever see her again. But the walls were in, and as she tore off the wreath and ripped open her dress, now crushed to nothing. 1m so much sitting, and threw them from her anywhere, anyhow, she could hear the two ices going on, Auntie Cha’s telling and telling, and winding up at last, quite out loud th: ‘Well, [don’t know what it was, but the plain truth is, she didn’t rakel” Oh, the shame of it! ... the sting and the shame. Her first ball, and not to have ‘taken’, have failed to “attract the gentlemen’ - this was a slur that would rest on her all ber And yet... and yet ... in spite of everything, a small voice that wouldn't be silenced Pt on saying: “It wasn’t my fault . . . it wasn’t my fault!” (Or at least not except for the silly mistake in the steps of the waltz.) She had tried her hardest, done everything Was told to do: had dressed up to please and look pretty, sat inthe front row offering * Programme, smiled when she didn't feel abit like smiling...» and almost more than thing she thought she hated the memory of that smile (it was like trying to make ; she hadn't wanted ‘the gentlemen’ any more than they d want er: she had only to pretend to, And they showed only too plainly they by choosing other girls, 253 Scanned with CamScanner4 who were not even pretty, and dancing with thet AE ee and talking ang them. And now, the many slights and pumila ns ofthe evening crowding yun Tong repressed tears broke through; and with the blanket pulled up over jen hee face driven deep into the pillow, she cried till she col ‘YY No more, rag, 25 ‘And Women Must Weep" Notes p.250 1ogs- clothes p.250 muslin - fine cotton p.250 cornflowers - deep blue flowers p.250 wagonette - a horse-drawn open carriage p.251 _ selvedge - ribbon or braid used to hem fabric P.251 programme... Master of Ceremonies... may Ihave the pleasure «in a dance the Master of Ceremonies, usually an older man, calls out yo different dances, makes sure everyone has a partner and gene sure everything goes smoothly: women have programmes listing dances, they have to wait for men to invite them to dance, on whi fill in their programme ~ men may ‘book’ dances with different y the evening 3 P.251 lancers - a dance for two couples P. By hermpipe a sailor's dance P. leap-year dance - referring to the i aml igwain Ig old custom that in a leap Scanned with CamScanner