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 Contents vii

A Closer Look The Allure of the Color Red 178 The Female-Superior (Woman-on-Top) Position 233
The Lateral-Entry (Side-Entry) Position 234
A Closer Look Thin May Be In, But Not With Bust Size 180
The Rear-Entry Position 235
Smell: Does the Nose Know Best? 181
Anal Intercourse 235
A Closer Look Strippers: A Treat for The Eyes Sexual Fantasies 236
or The Nose? 182 Chapter Review 239 • Test Your Learning 240
Nonphysical Traits Affect Feelings of Attraction 184
The Attraction–Similarity Hypothesis: Who is “Right” 8 Relationships and Communication 241
for You? 185
Attitudes: Do “Opposites Attract” or Do “Birds of Learning Objectives 241
a Feather Flock Together”? 186 Beginning Relationships 243
Hooking Up 245
Sex in the Digital Age For Nice Jewish Boys,
Swipe Right 187 Developing Intimacy: Sharing Innermost Thoughts
and Feelings 247
Love: “The Morning and the Evening Star”? 188
Romantic Love 189 Sex in the Digital Age Swiping Right to Hook Up:
Infatuation versus “True Love”: Will Time Tell? 190 Are We Heading Toward A Dating Apocalypse? 248
Contemporary Models of Love: Dare Science Jealousy: Is the World a Real-Life Temptation Island? 251
Intrude? 190 Jealousy and Evolutionary Theory 251
Biological Mechanisms 190 Lack of Sex Differences in Responses to Affairs
Love as Appraisal of Arousal 191 Among Gay Males and Lesbians 252
Styles of Love 191 A Cognitive Perspective on Jealousy 252
Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love 192 Communicative Responses to Jealousy 252
Loneliness 253
Self-Assessment Sternberg’s Triangular Love Scale 196
Effects of Loneliness 253
Chapter Review 198 • Test Your Learning 199
Sexual Communication 254
7 Sexual Response and Sexual Conflict Resolution 255
Communication Skills for Enhancing Relationships:
Behavior 200 How to Do It 255
Learning Objectives 200
Sex in A World of Diversity Relationship Satisfaction
Sexual Response 201 Among LBGT Couples 256
The Four-Phase Masters and Johnson Sexual Chapter Review 263 • Test Your Learning 264
Response Cycle 201
Kaplan’s Three Stages of Sexual Response:
An Alternative Model 207
9 Conception, Pregnancy,
Controversies about Orgasm 207
and Childbirth 265
Effects of Drugs on Sexual Arousal 209 Learning Objectives 265
Erogenous Zones and the Brain 213 Conception: Against All Odds 267
Sex Hormones and Sexual Response 215 Optimizing the Chances of Conception 268
Sex without a Partner 218
Sex in the Digital Age Fertility and Period
Historical Medical Views of Masturbation 219 Trackers 269
A Closer Look Good Vibes 220 Selecting the Sex of Your Child 269
Masturbation Techniques 222 Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology 270
Techniques Used by Females 223 Male Fertility Problems 270
Sex in the Digital Age Sex With Her 223 Female Fertility Problems 272

Sex with a Partner 225 Sex in A World of Diversity LGBT Family Building 273
Precoital and Noncoital Partnered Sex 225 Pregnancy 275
Kissing 226 Early Signs of Pregnancy 275
Touching 227 Pregnancy Tests 275
Stimulation of the Breasts 228 Early Effects of Pregnancy 276
Oral–Genital Stimulation 228 Miscarriage 276
Sexual Intercourse: Positions and Techniques 231 Sex During Pregnancy 277
The Male-Superior (Man-on-Top) Position 233 Psychological Changes During Pregnancy 277
viii Contents

Prenatal Development 279 Sterilization 327

Stages of Prenatal Development 279 Male Sterilization 327
Environmental Influences on Prenatal Development 283 Female Sterilization 328
Advantages and Disadvantages of Sterilization 329
A Closer Look Preventing Your Baby From Being
Infected with HIV 285 A Closer Look Selecting a Method of Contraception 330
Chromosomal and Genetic Abnormalities 289 “Non-Methods” of Contraception 331
A Closer Look The Effects of Parents’ Age on Children: Douching 331
Do Men Really Have All The Time in The World? 291 The Withdrawal Method 332
Childbirth 291 Abortion 332
Stages of Childbirth 292 Perspectives on Abortion 333
Methods of Childbirth 294 Self-Assessment Pro-Choice or Pro-Life?
Birth Problems 297 Where Do You Stand? 334
Sex in A World of Diversity Maternal and Infant When Does Human Life Begin? 335
Mortality Around the World 298 Attitudes Toward Legalized Abortion: A Nation
Divided 335
The Postpartum Period 300
Psychological Issues Women Encounter During Methods of Abortion 337
the Postpartum Period 300 Vacuum Aspiration 337
Breastfeeding Versus Bottle-Feeding 301 Dilation And Curettage (D&C) 337
Resumption of Ovulation and Menstruation 303 Dilation And Evacuation (D&E) 338
Resumption of Sexual Activity 303 Inducing Labor by Intra-Amniotic Infusion 338
Chapter Review 304 • Test Your Learning 305 A Closer Look The Political Battle Over Partial-Birth
Abortion 339
10 Contraception and Abortion 306 Hysterotomy 339
Learning Objectives 306 Abortion Drugs 339
Chapter Review 341 • Test Your Learning 342
Contraception 308
Contraception in the United States: The Political
Battle
Methods of Contraception
309
309
11 Sexuality Through the Lifespan 343
Hormonal Methods of Contraception 310 Learning Objectives 343
Oral Contraceptives (“The Pill”) 310 Childhood 344
The “Morning-After” Pill: The “Emergency Infants’ Sexual Response 344
Contraceptive” 313 Co-Sleeping 345
The Contraceptive Patch 314 Early Childhood (3 to 8 Years) 346
Injectable Contraceptives 314
A Closer Look How Should Parents React
Intrauterine Contraception (IUC) Devices 314 When Children Masturbate? 347
Under-the-Skin Implants 316
Preadolescence (9 to 13 Years) 347
Barrier Methods of Contraception 316 Masturbation 348
The Diaphragm 316 Male–Female Sexual Behavior 348
Spermicides 318 Male–Male and Female–Female Sexual Behavior 348
The Contraceptive Sponge 319 Sex Education 349
The Cervical Cap 319
Adolescence 350
The Condom 320
Puberty 351
A Closer Look Errors in Using Condoms 321
Sex in A World of Diversity The Many Meanings
A Closer Look Don’t Like Your Condom? Try of Menarche 353
the “Condom Buffet” 323
Sex in the Digital Age Sexting: Of Cell Phones,
Fertility Awareness Methods of Contraception 324 Sex, and Death 355
The Calendar Method 324 Types of Sexual Behaviors in Adolescence 356
The Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Method 325 Teenage Pregnancy 359
The Cervical Mucus (Ovulation) Method 325 Adulthood 360
Sex in the Digital Age Using Apps to Predict Being Single 360
Safe Periods for Sex 326 Cohabitation: Living Together 362
 Contents ix

Marriage: Tying the Knot 364 A Closer Look Preventing HIV Infection
Infidelity 370 with Truvada 435
Genital Herpes 436
Sex in the Digital Age What Happens When Your
Human Papillomavirus 438
Extramarital Affair Becomes Exposed to 7 Billion
People, Give or Take a Few? 372 Viral Hepatitis 440
Divorce: Breaking Bonds 373 Zika 441
Sex in the Later Years 375 Molluscum Contagiosum 441
Physical Changes 375 Ectoparasitic Infestations 441
Patterns of Sexual Activity 378 Pediculosis 441
Sex and Disability 378 Scabies 442
Physical Disabilities 379 Preventing STIs: It’s More Than Safer Sex 443
Chapter Review 381 • Test Your Learning 382 Abstinence or Monogamy 443
Know About the Risks 443

12 Sexual Problems and Solutions 383 Stay Sober

Inspect Yourself and Your Partner
444
444
Learning Objectives 383 Use Latex Condoms 444
Types of Sexual Problems 386 Use Barrier Devices During Oral Sex 445
Sexual Problems Relating to Lack of Interest or Desire 386 Avoid Risky Sex 445
Sexual Problems Relating to Becoming Aroused 387 Wash the Genitals Before and After Sex 445
Sexual Problems Relating to Orgasm 388 Have Regular Medical Checkups 445
Sexual Pain 390 Discuss Whether You and Your Partner Should
Origins of Sexual Problems 392 Be Tested Before Having Sex 445
Biological Factors 392 Engage in Forms of Sex Other than Intercourse
Psychosocial Factors 396 and Oral–Genital Contact 446
Talk to a Doctor If You Suspect That You Have
Solutions 399
Been Exposed to an STI 446
The Masters and Johnson Approach 399
Get to Know Your Partner Before Having Sex 446
Integration of Sex Therapy and Psychotherapy 400
Avoid Other High-Risk Behaviors 446
The Treatment of Specific Sexual Problems 400
Chapter Review 447 • Test Your Learning 448
A Closer Look The “Little Pink Pill” for Women 401

Sex in the Digital Age Thinking Critically About 14 Atypical Sexual Variations 449
Buying Viagra, Cialis, and Other Drugs Online 405
Learning Objectives 449
A Closer Look Is Viagra for Women? 409
Normal Versus Deviant Sexual Behavior 451
Sexual Pain 410
Paraphilic Disorders 452
Chapter Review 411 • Test Your Learning 412
Fetishistic Disorder 453
Exhibitionistic Disorder 455
13 Sexually Transmitted Infections 413 Voyeuristic Disorder 458
Learning Objectives 413 Sexual Masochism Disorder 459
Bacterial Infections 416 Sex in the Digital Age Total Web Cam Domination 460
Gonorrhea 416 Sexual Sadism Disorder 461
Syphilis 419 Frotteuristic Disorder 463
Chlamydia 423
A Closer Look Women from the “Kink” Community 463
Other Bacterial Diseases 425
Other Paraphilic Disorders 464
A Closer Look Sex and the Single (Infected) Senior 425 Theoretical Perspectives 465
Vaginal Infections 426
Sex in the Digital Age Cybersex Addiction:
Bacterial Vaginosis 427
For Some, Sex Is Nothing But ‘Net 466
Candidiasis 427
Biological Perspectives 466
Trichomoniasis 428
Psychoanalytic Perspectives 468
Viral Infections 428
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspectives 469
HIV/AIDS 428
Sociological Perspectives 470
A Closer Look Is Kissing Safe? 434 An Integrated Perspective: The “Lovemap” 470
x Contents

Treatment of Paraphilic Disorders 471 Incest: Breaking Taboos 499

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy 471 Effects of Sexual Abuse on Children 501
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy 471 Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse 502
Medical Approaches 473 Treatment of Survivors of Sexual Abuse 503
Chapter Review 474 • Test Your Learning 475 Treatment of Rapists and Child Molesters 503
Castration—Surgical and Chemical 503
15 Sexual Coercion 476 Sexual Harassment 504
Learning Objectives 476 Sexual Harassment in the Academic Setting 504
Rape: The Most Intimate Crime of Violence 478 Sex in A World of Diversity LGBT Youth and Sexual
Incidence of Rape 479 Harassment in the Schools 505
Types of Rape 481 Sexual Harassment in the Workplace 506
Stranger Rape 481 Trivialization of Sexual Harassment and Blaming
Acquaintance Rape 481 the Victim 507
Date Rape 481 How to Resist Sexual Harassment 508
Rape on Campus 482 Chapter Review 510 • Test Your Learning 511
Gang Rape 484
Male Rape 484 16 Selling Sex 512
Partner Rape 485 Learning Objectives 512
Rape by Women 485 Prostitution and Sex Work 513
Social Attitudes, Myths, and Cultural Factors Incidence of Prostitution in the United States 515
that Encourage Rape 486 Female Prostitutes 515
Self-Assessment Ten Cultural Myths That Create A Closer Look Drive-In Sex 519
a Climate That Supports Rape 487 Male Prostitutes 523
Psychological Characteristics of Rapists: Who Are They? 487 Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
A Closer Look Drugs Used by Rapists to Incapacitate and Prostitution 524
Victims 488 Should Prostitution Be Legalized? 525
Adjustment of Rape Survivors 489 Pornography 526
Rape and Psychological Disorders 490 What Is Pornographic? 526
If You Are Raped . . . 491 Pornography, Law, and Politics 527
Treatment of Rape Survivors 491 Prevalence and Use of Erotica
and Pornography 529
A Closer Look Slutwalk 492 Gender Differences in Response
Rape Prevention 493 to Pornography 530
Preventing Rape by Strangers 494 Pornography and Sexual Coercion 531
Chapter Review 535 • Test Your Learning 536
Sex in the Digital Age Rape Prevention? There’s
an App for That (Actually There are Several) 494
Preventing Date Rape 495 Appendix: Scoring Keys for Self-Assessments 537
Confronting A Rapist: Should You Fight, Flee,
or Plead? 496 References 538
Childhood Sexual Abuse 496 Credits 583
Patterns of Abuse 497
Name Index 585
Types of Abusers 498
Pedophilia 498 Subject Index 592
Feature Boxes
Sex in the Digital Age A Closer Look
Thinking Critically About Sexual Advice on The 13 Basic Reasons for Having Sex 18
The Internet 8 Although Viagra Works for Women, It Doesn’t
Experiencing The Symptoms of Menopause? Work for Women 33
There’s an App for That 70 The G Spot and Female Ejaculation: Realities or Myths? 49
Sexinfo Online—Penis Enlargement? 86 Breast Self-Examination 60
Gender-Hacking On OkCupid 119 Myths about Menopause 72
Grindr 161 Low T, Andropause, or Male Menopause?
For Nice Jewish Boys, Swipe Right 187 Age-Related Male Hypogonadism By Any
Sex With Her 223 Other Name Is Just As Unsettling 91
Swiping Right to Hook Up: Are We Heading Prostate Cancer: Treat It or Wait It Out? 98
Toward A Dating Apocalypse? 248 XY Boys Who Are Reared As Girls 114
Fertility and Period Trackers 269 Pheromones and Sexual Orientation 155
Using Apps to Predict Safe Periods for Sex 326 Lesbian and Gay Male Parents and
Sexting: Of Cell Phones, Sex, and Death 355 Their Families 163
What Happens When Your Extramarital The Allure of the Color Red 178
Affair Becomes Exposed to 7 Billion People, Thin May Be In, But Not With Bust Size 180
Give or Take a Few? 372 Strippers: A Treat for The Eyes or The Nose? 182
Thinking Critically About Buying Viagra, Good Vibes 220
Cialis, and Other Drugs Online 405 Preventing Your Baby From Being Infected
Total Web Cam Domination 460 with HIV 285
Cybersex Addiction: For Some, Sex Is The Effects of Parents’ Age on Children:
Nothing But ‘Net 466 Do Men Really Have All The Time in The World? 291
Rape Prevention? There’s an App for That Errors in Using Condoms 321
(Actually There are Several) 494 Don’t Like Your Condom? Try the “Condom Buffet” 323
Selecting a Method of Contraception 330
Sex in A World of Diversity The Political Battle Over Partial-Birth Abortion 339
How Should Parents React When Children
“Boy Play” in Afghanistan 11 Masturbate? 347
Female Genital Mutilation 44 The “Little Pink Pill” for Women 401
African American Women and Breast Cancer 62 Is Viagra for Women? 409
Historical and Cross-Cultural Perspectives Sex and the Single (Infected) Senior 425
on Menstruation 63 Is Kissing Safe? 434
Third Gender/Third Sex 122 Preventing HIV Infection with Truvada 435
Women in STEM Fields 126 Women from the “Kink” Community 463
The Eye That Roves Around The World? 130 Drugs Used by Rapists to Incapacitate Victims 488
Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation: A Matter Slutwalk 492
of Belonging 151 Drive-In Sex 519
Wide-Eyed with … Beauty? 177
Relationship Satisfaction Among LBGT Couples 256
LGBT Family Building 273 Self-Assessment
Maternal and Infant Mortality Around the World 298 Sternberg’s Triangular Love Scale 196
The Many Meanings of Menarche 353 Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? Where Do You Stand? 334
Honor Killings In … The United States? 498 Ten Cultural Myths That Create a Climate
LGBT Youth and Sexual Harassment in the Schools 505 That Supports Rape 487

xi
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Preface
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Finally, we explore the potpourri of crucial topics
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. familiar to those who teach the course: sexual dys-
functions (“sexual problems and solutions”), sexually
—Shakespeare, Hamlet
transmitted infections, atypical variations in sexual

T
here are indeed more kinds of people in this world,
and more ways in which people experience and
express their sexuality, than most of us might imag-
ine. Human sexuality may be intimately related to human
biology, but it is also embedded within the fabric of human
cultures and societies. The approach that has separated
Human Sexuality in a Changing World from other human
sexuality textbooks is its full embrace of the richness of
human diversity. The new edition adds to the history of
innovation by recognizing the key roles played by digital
devices and the Internet in contemporary societies.
You may have noticed a change in title. Previous edi-
tions of the text were titled Human Sexuality in a World of
Diversity, emphasizing the text’s commitment to portraying
the great diversity we find through the world, and in our
own society, in attitudes and sexual behavior. The new title
is Human Sexuality in a Changing World, signaling our con-
tinuing commitment to human diversity and adding a new
commitment to portraying the ways in which the digital
age in which we live has exploded the availability of sexual
information and reshaped the ways in which many of us
experience sexuality.
behavior (paraphilias), sexual coercion (rape and child
abuse), and prostitution and pornography (“selling
sex”).
New Feature: Sex in the Digital Age
The tenth edition of the text proudly presents a new
feature which testifies to the book’s currency: Sex in the
Digital Age. The typical American spends more than an
hour online each day, and research suggests that much of
this time is spent reading about and viewing sexual top-
ics, including pornography. Sex in the Digital Age features
include:
• Chapter 1 Thinking Critically about Sexual Advice
on the Internet
• Chapter 2 Symptoms of Menopause? There’s an
App for That
• Chapter 3 SexInfo Online—Penis Enlargement
• Chapter 4 Gender-Hacking on OkCupid
• Chapter 5 Grindr
• Chapter 6 For Nice Jewish Boys, Swipe Right

What’s New in the Tenth Edition • Chapter 7 Sex with Her

• Chapter 8 Swiping Right to Hook Up—Are We
New Chapter Structure Heading Toward a Dating Apocalypse?
The new edition has 16 chapters as compared with the 19 • Chapter 9 Fertility and Period Trackers
chapters of previous editions. The reorganization will fit
• Chapter 10 Using Apps to Predict Safe Periods for
better with the semester calendar and is also more logical.
Sex
Following the introductory chapter and the chapters
on sexual anatomy and physiology (Chapters 2 and 3), the • Chapter 11 Sexting: Of Cell Phones, Sex, and Death
text immediately delves into the basic matters of gender What Happens When Your Extramarital
(Chapter 4) and sexual orientation (Chapter 5). The first Affair Becomes Exposed to 7 Billion
group of chapters addresses the core of who a person is as People, Give or Take a Few?
a sexual being. • Chapter 12 Thinking Critically about Buying Viagra,
Having identified the sexual person, the new flow Cialis, and Other Drugs Online
follows gender and sexual orientation with attraction and
• Chapter 14 Total Web Cam Domination
love (whom do we seek for sexual interaction?), patterns
of sexual behavior, and the development of relationships. Cybersex Addiction: For Some, Sex Is
Development of relationships is followed logically by Nothing but ’Net
conception and pregnancy, contraception, and sexuality • Chapter 15 Rape Prevention? There’s an App for That
through the lifespan. (Actually There Are Several)

xiii
xiv Preface
Heightened Use of Popular Culture to
Stimulate Students and Illustrate Issues
Involving Human Sexuality
Samples:
Chapter 4 Laverne Cox of Orange Is the New Black and
Caitlyn Jenner to illustrate transgender issues among
celebrities
Chapter 5 Miley Cyrus’s statements suggestive of
bisexuality in the chapter on sexual orientation
Chapter 8 Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake in the
film Friends with Benefits to illustrate contemporary
wrinkles in sexual relationships
Chapter 14 Dakota Johnson in the film Fifty Shades of
Grey as an illustration of sadomasochism
Chapter 15 Issues concerning Bill Cosby and alleged
sexual assault in the chapter on sexual coercion
New References
The field of human sexuality may change more rapidly
than any other, and the research in all these areas is thor-
oughly up to date. There are literally hundreds of new
references that address updates in the area of sexual health
and in the psychology of sex.
The Themes of Human Sexuality
in a Changing World
The tenth edition of Human Sexuality in a Changing World
builds on the strong themes for which it has come to be
known:
1. The rich diversity found in gender roles, sexual atti-
tudes, and sexual behaviors and customs
2. Critical thinking principles and skills
3. Making responsible sexual decisions
4. Sexual health
5. Recognition of popular media and helpful “apps”
ThEME 1: huMAN DIVERSITy Colleges and universi-
ties are undertaking the mission of broadening students’
perspectives so that they will appreciate and tolerate human
diversity. The United States is a nation of hundreds of differ-
ent ethnic and religious groups, many of which endorse cul-
turally distinctive beliefs about appropriate gender roles for
men and women, and distinctive sexual practices and cus-
toms. Diversity is even greater within the global village of
the world’s nearly 200 nations and the subcultures of those
nations. Human Sexuality in a Changing World incorporates
a multicultural, multiethnic perspective that reflects the
diversity of sexual experience in our society and around the
world. Our book thereby broadens students’ understanding
of the range of cultural differences in sexual attitudes and
behavior worldwide and within our own society.
In addition, the “A World of Diversity” feature high-
lights the rich variety of human sexual customs and prac-
tices in our own society and in others around the world.
Discussion of diversity encourages respect for people who
hold diverse beliefs and attitudes. We also encourage stu-
dents to question what is deemed appropriate for women
and men in terms of social roles and sexual conduct in light
of cultural traditions and standards.
ThEME 2: CRITICAL ThINkINg Colleges and universities
in the new millennium are also encouraging students to be-
come critical thinkers. Today’s students are so inundated with
information about gender and sexuality that it can be difficult
to sort truth from fiction. Not only do politicians, theologians,
and community leaders influence our gender- and sex-related
attitudes and behaviors, but news outlets, TV programs, the
Internet, and other media also brim with features about gen-
der roles and issues concerning human sexuality.
Critical thinking means being skeptical of information
that is presented in print or on the Internet, or uttered by au-
thority figures or celebrities. Critical thinking requires thought-
ful analysis and probing of the claims and arguments of others
in light of evidence. Moreover, it requires a willingness to
challenge conventional wisdom and common knowledge that
many of us take for granted. It means scrutinizing definitions
of terms, evaluating the premises or assumptions that underlie
arguments, and examining the logic of arguments.
Throughout this book we raise issues that demand criti-
cal thinking. These issues are intended to stimulate student
interest in analyzing and evaluating their beliefs and attitudes
toward gender roles and sexuality in light of the accumulated
scientific evidence. Moreover, this new edition fosters critical
thinking through a section called “Thinking Critically about
Human Sexuality” in Chapter 1, and by including “Critical
Thinking” questions throughout each chapter.
ThEME 3: RESPoNSIBLE SExuAL DECISIoN MAkINg
We also encourage students to make responsible sexual
decisions. There are psychological and physical dangers in
“going with the flow” or being passive about one’s sexual-
ity. Of course we do not encourage students to be sexually
active (such a decision is personal). On the other hand, we
do encourage students to make their own sexual decisions
actively, on the basis of accurate information.
Decision making is deeply intertwined with individuals’
sexual experiences. For example, each person needs to decide
• whom to date, and how and when to become sexually
intimate
• whether to practice contraception and which methods
to use
• how to protect himself or herself against HIV/AIDS
and other STIs

Responsible sexual decision making is based not only
on acquiring accurate information but also on carefully
evaluating this information in the light of one’s own moral
values. We encourage students always to consider their
own values, needs, and interests, rather than going along
with the crowd or merely acceding to the wishes or de-
mands of their partners. Throughout the text we provide
students with the information they need to make respon-
sible decisions about their physical health, the gender roles
they will enact, sexual practices, birth control, and preven-
tion of STIs.
ThEME 4: SExuAL hEALTh Human Sexuality in a
Changing World places a strong emphasis on issues relat-
ing to sexual health, including extensive coverage of such
topics as HIV/AIDS and other STIs, innovations in contra-
ception and reproductive technologies, breast cancer, men-
strual distress, sex and disabilities, and diseases that affect
the reproductive tract. The text encourages students to
take an active—in fact, a proactive—role in health promo-
tion. For example, the book includes exercises and features
that help students examine their bodies for abnormalities,
reduce the risk of HIV infection, and cope with menstrual
discomfort.
ThEME 5: RECogNITIoN oF PoPuLAR MEDIA AND
hELPFuL “APPS” The tenth edition of Human Sexuality
in a Changing World enriches coverage for students by re-
ferring to well-known people in the media and presenting
websites and “apps” that will widen students’ knowledge
of issues relating to human sexuality and assist them in
solving problems.
We cover the experiences of Orange is the New Black
superstar Laverne Cox. We address Angelina Jolie’s deci-
sion to have a preventive double mastectomy. We note the
alleged sexual assaults of Bill Cosby.
We dwell in the digital age. Therefore, we also show
students apps such as “Grindr,” “Glow,” and “Circle of
Six,” which, respectively, assist gay men in finding part-
ners, help women calculate when they will ovulate, and
prevent on-campus sexual violence.
Features of the Tenth Edition
Like previous editions, the tenth edition of Human Sexuality
in a Changing World contains features that stimulate student
interest and enhance understanding.
Learning Objectives
Featured at the beginning of each chapter, learning objec-
tives help guide student reading by identifying main ideas
and defining learning goals. These learning objectives ap-
pear again in the end of chapter summary, to help reinforce
key information. They are also used to organize the Test
Bank and Instructor Manual.
Preface xv
Real Students, Real Questions
What do students know about human sexuality? What are
they too embarrassed to ask of professors, peers, or parents?
This feature highlights questions, collected from college stu-
dents from across the country, on any human sexuality topic
concerning them—big or small. We then answer their ques-
tions. Sample questions include the following:
• One of my breasts is bigger than the other. Is this
normal?
• How do you tell someone the relationship is over?
• How can I keep my partner interested in sex? We’ve
been together for 5 years.
Sex in the Digital Age
These features in effect show what the electronic age—also
known as the age of information—has brought to the world
of human sexuality. Students locate their lovers with smart-
phones. They use apps such as Tinder and Grindr to search
for new sex partners when they are on the street or at a bar
or club. Most view pornography online, using their smart-
phones, tablet computers, laptops, or desktops rather than
visit an adult bookstore or an adult theater. Women use apps
such as Glow to track their periods and fertility. They also use
rape preventions apps, which allow them to call in friends
at a moment’s notice. The applications of digital technology
to human sexuality are virtually endless, and the text shows
how people shape these apps and are shaped by them.
Sex in a World of Diversity
These features highlight the rich variety of human sexual
customs and practices in our own society and in those
throughout the world. Viewing human sexuality in a mul-
ticultural context helps students better understand how
cultural beliefs, values, and attitudes can influence the
expression of sexuality. Students may come to understand
that their partners, who may not share the same ethnic or re-
ligious heritage as themselves, may feel different than they
do about sexual intimacy. Students will learn about cultural
differences related to gender roles, sexual orientation, sexual
jealousy, and premarital and extramarital sexual patterns.
A Closer Look
The “A Closer Look” feature provides in-depth discussions of
scientific techniques (for example, “Physiological Measures
of Sexual Arousal”) and skill-building exercises (“Breast Self-
Examination,” “Self-Examination of the Testes”).
Self-Assessments
Self-scoring questionnaires stimulate students’ interest and
provide self-insight by helping them satisfy their curiosity
xvi Preface
about themselves. These questionnaires also enhance the
relevance of the text to students’ lives. Examples include
“Would You Tell an Interviewer the Truth on a Survey about
Your Sexual Behavior? The Social-Desirability Scale” and the
“Triangular Love Scale” (which may help students decide
whether they are “in love” and, if so, just what type of love
they are in).
Truth-or-Fiction? Items
These unique chapter-opening devices motivate stu-
dents by challenging common sense, stereotypes, and
folklore. “Truth-or-Fiction Revisited” sections are in-
terspersed throughout each chapter and provide feed-
back to students regarding the accuracy of their as-
sumptions in light of the evidence presented in the
chapter.
Running Glossary
Research shows that most students do not make use of
glossaries at the end of books. Searching for the meanings
of terms is a difficult task and distracts them from the sub-
ject matter. Therefore, Human Sexuality in a Changing World
has a running glossary. Key terms are in bold type in the
text and are defined in the margins near to where they ap-
pear. Students can readily find the meanings of key terms
without breaking their concentration on the flow of the
material.
A Comprehensive Media
and Supplements Package
Human Sexuality in a Changing World presents instructors and
students with a wide range of ancillaries and teaching aids.
Revel™
Educational technology designed for the
way today’s students read, think, and learn
When students are engaged deeply, they learn more ef-
fectively and perform better in their courses. This simple
fact inspired the creation of Revel: an interactive learning
environment designed for the way today’s students read,
think, and learn. Built in collaboration with educators
and students nationwide, Revel replaces the textbook
and gives students everything they need for the course.
Revel seamlessly blends authors’ narrative, media, and
assessment, enabling students to read, practice, and study
in one continuous experience. This immersive educational
technology is designed to measurably boost students’ under-
standing, retention, and preparedness across an expanding
range of discipline areas—for less than the cost of a tradi-
tional textbook.
Learn more about Revel at
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/revel/
Resources
INSTRuCToR’S MANuAL Updated for the tenth edi-
tion, this online instructor’s manual is a wonderful tool
for classroom preparation and management. Organized
by the same learning objectives that appear through-
out the text, each chapter begins with an “at a glance”
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ers, discussion questions, activities, and references to online
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TEST BANk A thoroughly revised and updated test bank
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Acknowledgments
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the many researchers
and scholars whose contributions to the body of knowl-
edge in the field of human sexuality are represented in
these pages. Underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of
the field, we have drawn on the work of scholars in such
fields as psychology, sociology, medicine, anthropology,
theology, and philosophy, to name a few. We are also
indebted to the many researchers who have generously
allowed us to quote from their work and reprint tabular
material representing their findings. We also thank our
professional colleagues who reviewed this text at various
stages in its development:
Michael Bailey, Northwestern University; Keith E.
Davis, University of South Carolina; Randy D. Fisher,
University of Central Florida; Kam Majer, Glendale
Community College; Patricia A. Tackett, San Diego State
University; Michael L. Vinson, College of Charleston; and
Mark A. Yarhouse, Regent University.

In addition, the following instructors provided invaluable
feedback in their reviews. Several reviewers also supplied
anonymous Real Students, Real Questions from their stu-
dents, for which we are grateful:
Cindy Arem, Pima Community College; Rebecca L.
Bosek, University of Alaska, Anchorage; Ted Coleman,
California State University, San Bernadino; Ruth Conrad,
Miami Dade College; Nancy P. Daley, The University of
Texas at Austin; Darci Dance, Linn-Benton Community
College; Dale Doty, Monroe Community College; Mary E.
Doyle, Arizona State University; Laura Duvall, Heartland
Community College; Steve Ellyson, Youngstown State
University; Kathy Erickson, Pima Community College;
Debra L. Golden, The Grossmont–Cuyamaca Community
College; Jerry Green, Tarrant County College; Tawanda
M. Greer, University of South Carolina; Chuck Hallock,
University of Arizona; Mark L. Harmon, Reedley College–
North Centers; Deborah Kindy, Sonoma State University;
Amy Kolodji, Ithaca College; Gloria Lawrence, Wayne State
College; Holly Lewis, University of Houston–Downtown;
Sonya Lott-Harrison, Community College of Philadelphia;
Ana Lucero-Liu, California State University, Northridge;
Preface xvii
Jason McCoy, Cape Fear Community College; Mary L.
Meiners, San Diego Miramar College; Eva Mika, Loyola
University Chicago; Ramona M. Noland, Sam Houston
State University; Grace Pokorny, Long Beach City College;
Jim Pond, Butler Community College; Marilyn Pugh,
Texas Wesleyan University, North Texas; Rosalind Shorter,
Jefferson Community College; Noam Shpancer, Otterbein
University; Bette Speziale, Ohio State University; Virginia
Sticinski, Delaware Technical Community College;
Dana Stone, Virginia Tech; Virginia Totaro, Virginia
Commonwealth University; Mixon Ware, Eastern Kentucky
University; Mary Anne Watson, Metropolitan State College
of Denver; O’Neal Weeks, Eastern Kentucky University;
Steve Weinert, The Grossmont–Cuyamaca Community
College; Lester Wright, Western Michigan University; and
Brian Zamboni, Health University of Minnesota.
Last, we thank our long-time buddy David McPatchell,
Associate Professor of Psychology, Compton Community
College—and his students—for providing the heart of
many of this edition’s personal stories, including “Real
Questions, Real Answers” features. It just would not have
been the same without him—and them.
Spencer A. Rathus
Jeffrey S. Nevid
Lois Fichner-Rathus
This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 1
What Is Human Sexuality?
Learning Objectives
The Science of Human Sexuality
LO 1.1 Define the science of human sexuality.

Sexuality and Values

LO 1.2 Define the value systems people use
in making sexual decisions.
Thinking Critically about Human Sexuality
LO 1.3 Explain how you can become a critical thinker.

Perspectives on Human Sexuality

LO 1.4 Discuss various ways of looking at human
sexuality.
Research Methods in Human Sexuality
LO 1.5 Explain the steps in the scientific method.

LO 1.6 Explain what is meant by populations and

samples.
LO 1.7 Describe methods of observation, including
the case-study method, the survey,
naturalistic observation, ethnographic
observation, participant observation, and
laboratory observation.
LO 1.8 Describe the correlational method.

LO 1.9 Explain how experiments seek to determine

cause and effect.
Ethics in Research on Human Sexuality
LO 1.10 Describe the ethical concerns that govern the
ways in which professionals interact with
research participants and clients in treatment.

1
2 Chapter 1

TruTh or FicTion?

Which of the following statements are the truth and which are fiction? Look for the
Truth-or-Fiction items throughout this chapter to find the answers.
1 Scientific knowledge will enable you to make the right sexual
decisions. T / F?
2 You can trust the sexual advice that is posted on the Internet. T / F?
3 In ancient Greece, a mature man would take a sexual interest in an
adolescent boy, often with the blessing of the boy’s parents. T / F?
4 Throughout most of human history, and in many places around the world
today, women are considered to be the property of their husbands. T / F?
5 The production of sex manuals originated in modern times. T / F?
6 The Graham cracker came into being as a means for helping young men
control their sexual appetites. T / F?
7 You could study the sexual behavior of millions of Americans and
still not obtain an accurate picture of the sexual behavior of the U.S.
population. T / F?
8 Researchers created an artificial penis containing photographic equipment
to study female sexual response. T / F?
9 People who attend church regularly tend to be more satisfied with their
relationships. T / F?

Let’s Google the islands off the coast of Europe and in the South Pacific—both in space
and time. We go to Google Maps, find Inis Beag, click on the satellite image, further
click on 1955 (no, you can’t really do this—yet), and swoop in . . .
And suddenly we find ourselves visiting two islands that are a world apart—
sexually as well as geographically. Our first stop is Inis Beag, which lies in the
Atlantic, off the misty coast of Ireland. Our second stop will be Mangaia, which lifts
languidly out of the blue waters of the Pacific.
The distant satellite image shows Inis Beag as a green jewel, fertile and inviting.
The residents of this community do not believe that it is normal for women to experi-
ence orgasm. Anthropologists have reported that any woman who finds pleasure in
sex—especially the intense waves of pleasure that can accompany orgasm—is viewed
as deviant.
Premarital sex is all but unknown on Inis Beag. Before marriage, men and women
socialize apart. Marriage comes late—usually in the middle 30s for men and the
middle 20s for women. Mothers teach their daughters that they will have to submit to
their husbands’ animal cravings to obey God’s injunction to “be fruitful and multiply.”
But the women of Inis Beag need not be overly concerned about frequent sex
because the men of the island believe, erroneously, that sexual activity will drain
their strength. Consequently, men avoid sex on the eve of sporting activity or
strenuous work. Because of taboos against nudity, married couples have sex with
their undergarments on. Intercourse takes place in the dark—literally as well as
figuratively.
During intercourse, the man lies on top. He is always the initiator. Foreplay is
brief. The man ejaculates as fast as he can, in the belief that he is the only partner with
sexual needs and to spare his wife as best he can. Then he turns over and falls asleep.
Once more the couple have done their duty.
On to Mangaia, which is a pearl of an island. It lies on the other side of the world
from Inis Beag—in more ways than one. From an early age, Mangaian boys and girls
are encouraged to get in touch with their own sexuality through sexual play and
 What Is Human Sexuality? 3

masturbation. At about the age of 13, Mangaian boys are initiated into manhood by
adults who instruct them in sexual techniques.
Boys practice their new techniques with girlfriends on secluded beaches or beneath
the listing fronds of palms. They may visit girlfriends in huts where they sleep with
their families. Parents often listen for their daughters to laugh and gasp so that they will
know that they have reached orgasm with a visiting young “sleepcrawler.” Parents often
pretend to be asleep so as not to interfere with courtship and impede their daughters’
chances of finding a mate. Daughters may receive a nightly succession of sleepcrawlers
and have multiple orgasms with each one.
Mangaians look on virginity with disdain because virgins do not know how to pro-
vide sexual pleasure. Thus, the older male makes his contribution by initiating the girl.
Mangaians expressed concern when they learned that many Western women do
not regularly experience orgasm. Orgasm is apparently universal among Mangaian
women. Therefore, Mangaians could only assume that Western women suffered from
some abnormality of the sex organs.

The residents of Inis Beag and Mangaia have similar anatomical features but vastly
different attitudes toward sex. Their cultural settings influence their patterns of sexual
behavior and the pleasure they gain—or fail to gain—from sex. Sex may be a natural
function, but few natural functions have been influenced so strongly by religious and
moral beliefs, cultural tradition, folklore, and superstition.
We are about to embark on the study of human sexuality. But why study human
sexuality? Isn’t sex something to do rather than to talk about? Isn’t sex a natural
function? Don’t we learn what we need to know from personal experience or from
our parents or from our friends?
Yes. And no. We can learn how our bodies respond to sexual stimulation through
personal experience, but experience teaches us little about the biology of sexual re-
sponse and orgasm. Nor does experience inform us about the variations in sexual
behavior that exist around the world. Experience does not prepare us to recognize the
signs of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or to recognize the risks of pregnancy.
What many of us learned about sex from our parents can probably be summarized in
a single word: “Don’t.” The information we received from our friends was probably
riddled with exaggeration, even lies. Many young people today receive accurate infor-
mation through sex education courses in the schools, but they are usually taught about
STIs and contraception, not about sexual techniques.

real Students, real Questions

Q I am 17 years old, and in my family the topic of sex is nonexistent.

How do I begin a conversation with my family?
A Many people find it difficult to talk about sex. You’ll find ideas
for initiating conversations about sex with family members and
other people throughout this text—conversations about contra-
ception, STIs, and problems in relationships. In all cases, think
about selecting a good time and place to talk. Consider asking
permission to talk about a sensitive topic, as in “I know that talk-
ing about birth control is a no-no in this house, but I have some
questions. Can we talk about them?” Or, “I could use some
help. Can we talk about it?” People who care about you might
just surprise you by accepting the challenge of trying to com-
municate about topics that have been off-limits. You can also
check out the college counseling center; it is usually a safe
place to explore ideas.
4 Chapter 1
gender
The state of being male or being
female, but usually used in reference
to social and cultural differences
rather than biological differences.
When appropriate, we refer to the
anatomic sex of an individual rather
than her or his gender.
gender roles
Complex clusters of ways in which
males and females are expected to
behave within a given culture.
human sexuality
The ways in which people
experience and express
themselves as sexual beings.
values
The qualities in life that are deemed
important or unimportant, right or
wrong, desirable or undesirable.
You may know more about human sexuality than your parents or grandparents
did at your age, or do today. But how much do you really know? What causes an
erection or vaginal lubrication? What factors determine sexual orientation? What are
sexual dysfunctions and what causes them? How do our sexual responsiveness and
interests change as we age? Can you contract an STI and not know it? If you have no
symptoms, can you infect others?
These are just a few of the issues we will explore in this book. One feature of this
text, “Real Students, Real Questions,” illustrates some of the questions and erroneous
ideas many of us have about sex.
The Science of Human Sexuality
LO 1.1 Define the science of human sexuality.
What is human sexuality? This is not a trick question. Consider the meaning, or rather
meanings, of the word sex. One use of the term sex refers to our anatomic sex, female
or male. The words sex or sexual are also used to refer to anatomic structures called
sex organs or sexual organs, which play roles in reproduction and sexual pleasure. We
may also speak of sex when referring to physical activities involving our sex organs
for purposes of reproduction or pleasure, as in having sex. Sex also relates to erotic feel-
ings, experiences, or desires, such as sexual fantasies and thoughts, sexual urges, or
feelings of sexual attraction.
Many researchers reserve the word sex for reference to anatomic or biological
categories but prefer the word gender when they are referring to social or cultural cat-
egories. For example, one might say that “reproductive anatomy appears to depend on
the sex (not the gender) of the individual, but in so-called traditional societies, gender
roles (not sex roles) are often seen as polar opposites.” Although it is often preferred to
speak of psychological and behavioral gender differences rather than sex differences, the
use of “sex differences” is probably more correct when we are talking about differences
between anatomic males and anatomic females.
The term human sexuality refers to the ways in which people experience and
express themselves as sexual beings. Our awareness of ourselves as females or
males is part of our sexuality, as is the capacity we have for erotic experiences and
responses. Our knowledge of the gender roles in our culture also has a profound
influence on us.
The Study of Human Sexuality
The study of human sexuality draws on the scientific expertise of anthropologists,
biologists, medical researchers, sociologists, and psychologists, to name some of the
professional groups involved in the field. These disciplines all make contributions
because human sexuality reflects biological capabilities, psychological traits and
experiences, and social and cultural influences. Biologists inform us about the physi-
ological mechanisms of sexual arousal and response. Medical science teaches us about
STIs and the biological bases of reproduction and sexual dysfunctions. Psychologists
examine how our sexual behavior and attitudes are shaped by perception, learning,
thought, motivation and emotion, and personality. Sociologists examine relationships
between sexual behavior and religion, race, and social class. Anthropologists focus on
cross-cultural similarities and differences in sexual behavior.
1 ❯ T / F Truth or Fiction Revisited Although science provides us with information,
it cannot make sexual decisions for us. In making sexual decisions, we also turn to our values.
The Declaration of Independence endorsed the fundamental values of “life, liberty, and the pur-
suit of happiness”—not a bad beginning. Religious traditions and other ethical systems also play
a prominent role in shaping our values, as we see in the following section.
 What Is Human Sexuality? 5

Sexuality and Values

LO 1.2 Define the value systems people use
in making sexual decisions.
Our society is pluralistic. It embraces a wide range
of sexual attitudes and values. Some readers may
be liberal in their sexual views and behavior. Others
may be conservative. Some are “pro-choice” con-
cerning abortion, others “pro-life.” Some approve
of premarital sex for couples who know each other
casually. Others hold the line at emotional commit-
ment. Still others believe in waiting until marriage.
People’s sexual attitudes, experiences, and behaviors
are shaped to a large extent by cultural traditions and
beliefs. They influence how, where, and with whom
we become sexually involved.
As noted by feminists, some of the variability in
sexual behavior between males and females reflects
power rather than choice (Smith & Konik, 2011; Swirsky & Angelone, 2015). Throughout Sexuality and Values. How do you
history and in many places, for example, women have been considered the property of make sexual decisions? What value
system or systems do you use?
men. Even today, women are often “given away” by their fathers to their husbands.
Let’s consider the various value systems that people draw on in making sexual
decisions.

Value Systems for Making Sexual Decisions

Although sex is a natural function, most of us who live in developed nations choose
how, where, and with whom to become sexually involved. We face a wide array of
decisions: Whom should I date? When should my partner and I become sexually inti-
mate? Should I initiate sexual relations or wait for my partner to approach me? Should
we use contraception? If so, which method? Should I use a condom to protect against
STIs (or insist that my partner does so)? Should I be tested for HIV (the virus that
causes AIDS)? Should I insist that my partner be tested for HIV before we have sex?
Value systems provide a framework for judging the morality of sexual options.
Our value systems—our sexual standards—have many sources: parents, peers, reli-
gious training, ethnic subcultures, the larger culture, and our own appraisal of these
influences. Value systems include legalism, situational ethics, ethical relativism, hedo-
nism, asceticism, utilitarianism, and rationalism.
The legalistic approach formulates ethical behavior on the basis of a code
of moral laws derived from an external source, such as a religion. The Hebrew
and Christian Bibles contain many examples of the moral code of the Jewish and
Christian religions. In the Book of Leviticus (20:10–17) in the Hebrew Bible we find
many of the prohibitions against adultery, incest, same-sex sexual activity, and sex
during menstruation that are followed by most people today:
10: And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that
committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress
shall surely be put to death.
11: And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s naked-
ness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
12: And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to
death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
13: If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have
committed an abomination: They shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be
upon them.
6 Chapter 1

real Students, real Questions

Q Is a person who takes a vow of chastity, such as a nun,

no longer considered a sexual being?
A A person who takes a vow of chastity only promises not to be
a sexually active being. The reason usually involves dedica-
tion to values in which self-denial of sexual desires plays a
key role, as in a religious tradition. But this doesn’t mean that
the person is no longer a sexual being. The person remains
female or male, and continues to be subject to the sexual
drives, sexual health issues, and cultural expectations that
affect females and males.

14: And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt
with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15: And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay
the beast.
17: And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter,
and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they
shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness;
he shall bear his iniquity.
18: And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness,1 and shall uncover
her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the
fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

Many religious followers accept the moral codes of their religions as a matter of
faith and commitment. Some people find it reassuring to be informed by religious
authorities or scripture that a certain course of action is right or wrong. Others take a
more liberal view. They say that the Bible reflects the social setting of the time in which
it was written, not just divine inspiration. Now that population growth is exploding in
many parts of the world, biblical injunctions to be fruitful and multiply may no longer
be socially and environmentally sound. Prohibitions, such as that against sexual rela-
tions during menstruation, were likely based on prescientific perceptions of danger.
Some people thus view religious teachings as a general guideline rather than a set of
absolute rules.
Other value systems for making sexual decisions are shown in Table 1.1.
Many students will think critically about which values to apply to a given
situation. They may also apply critical thinking to the claims and arguments about
human sexuality they come across from authority figures, colleagues, friends, and
advertisements. In the following section, we explore the nature of critical thinking.

Thinking Critically about Human

Sexuality
LO 1.3 Explain how you can become a critical thinker.
We are flooded with so much information about sex that it is difficult to separate truth
from fiction. Newspapers, TV shows, popular books and magazines, and the Internet
contain one feature after another about sex. Many of them contradict one another, con-
tain half-truths, or draw unsupported conclusions.

1
That is, menstruation.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 “Of course not,” said Mr. Guildford, kindly. “I am not much
accustomed to young ladies, as I dare say you have found out
before now, but if you will forgive plain speaking, what I would think
wrong would be your meeting any gentleman and going walks with
him without Mrs. Methvyn’s knowledge or approval.”
“But Mr. Fawcett is the relation of my aunt,” said Geneviève, not
feeling perfectly comfortable. “I see not that I may not walk with him
when I meet him.”
“Of course that is for Mrs. Methvyn to decide,” said Mr. Guildford.
“But—”.
“But what then?”
“I would much rather not say anything more about it,” said Mr.
Guildford. “I was going to say, ‘but if you were my sister’ but you are
not my sister, Miss Casalis.”
“But let it be—let me suppose myself your sister, what then? Say
then,” she persisted, looking up in his face with a half tearful anxiety,
the rosy lips still quivering with agitation.
More to humour her and give her time to recover herself than with
any real intention of advising or warning her, Mr. Guildford went on,
smiling as he did so,
“If you were my sister then, Miss Casalis (and if I had a young
sister like you, you don’t know what care I should take of her), I
should try to make you understand that a girl like you cannot be too
careful—that you are very beautiful, and that a young man like Mr.
Fawcett would naturally find your society charming, but that in the
world in which he lives there are many beautiful and charming girls
who must be far more worldly wise, whose hearts cannot possibly be
as fresh and tender as yours.”
Geneviève understood him. She grew scarlet, and again the tears
welled up into her lovely, troubled eyes.
“Of course,” pursued Mr. Guildford, “I am speaking in the dark.
There may be circumstances which I am ignorant of—very probably
there are—which make your position towards Mr. Fawcett a perfectly
unconstrained one. To you he may actually seem what we have
been imagining I might have been to you, a brother—a sort of a
brother, I should say?”
“How?” asked Geneviève sharply.
“Well, a brother in the sense in which Miss Methvyn must seem a
sister to you. I only say this because if it is so, all I have said must
have seemed ludicrously inappropriate—I have no wish to pry
impertinently into your relations’ family affairs.”
His last few words were haughty enough; they ill accorded with
the anxiety, quite unowned to himself, with which he waited for her
reply. She did not notice his disclaimer of curiosity, she was too
selfishly startled by the suggestion which her quick wits had at once
seized the full meaning of.
“You would say that my cousin Cicely is perhaps the fiançée of
Mr. Fawcett?” she exclaimed, and though Mr. Guildford smiled in
assent, he recoiled a little from her distinct expression of his
meaning. “But, oh! no,” she went on. “It is not so, I assure you. They
are brother and sister, voilà tout!”
She spoke lightly, but a slight cloud had nevertheless risen on her
horizon; a cloud whose presence she resolutely ignored, but which
to her took the brightness out of the sunshine for the rest of the day.
But she had spoken confidently, and her inward misgiving was
unsuspected by her companion. And to him the sunshine suddenly
increased tenfold in brilliance and beauty, the birds’ songs trilled
more joyously than before, the whole world seemed
“to lift its glad heart to the skies.”
Geneviève came in for her share in this generally happy state of
things. She was somewhat pale and pensive, but had quite
recovered her equilibrium, and before they rejoined the others she
said something in her pretty, gentle way, of thanks to Mr. Guildford
for his kindness and appreciation of his advice.
“Then you are not offended with me you are quite sure you are
not?” he inquired.
 “Offended!” Geneviève repeated. “Oh! no, no. I was afraid I had
done more wrong than I knew. It is all strange here. I fear to do
wrong. I thank you very much, Mr. Guildford.”
So the interview which had threatened to be stormy ended most
amicably, and Edmond owned to himself that it would not be to be
wondered at if Mr. Fawcett did fall in love with the pretty little
creature.
They found the rest of the climbers established on the little
plateau at the top of the rock, admiring, or fancying they admired, the
really beautiful view. The absence of Mr. Guildford and Miss Casalis
had not been unobserved, and more than one pair of eyes were
sharp enough to detect in Geneviève’s face and manner the traces
of recent agitation. She looked so pale and subdued that Cicely felt
anxious about her, but, with the quick instinct of shielding her from
disagreeable observation, did her utmost to divert the Misses
Ketterings’ attention. Mr. Guildford, whose spirits appeared to have
risen as incomprehensibly as Geneviève’s had sunk, seemed
instinctively to understand Miss Methvyn’s wishes and did his best to
help her; and so, in his own way, did Mr. Hayle, but Trevor stalked
about gloomy and dissatisfied, was barely civil to Mr. Guildford and
ignored poor Miss Fanny Kettering altogether.
It was so unusual for him to be out of temper that it distressed
Cicely, though she attached no great importance to the passing
cloud. She watched for an opportunity of dispelling it.
“Trevor,” she said gently, as, on their way down again she found
herself for a moment alone beside him, out of earshot of the others,
“Are you unhappy about anything? I wanted everybody to be in good
spirits to-day.”
“You haven’t succeeded very well I’m afraid,” he replied moodily;
“Miss Casalis looks as if she had been crying all the morning.”
“It does not take much to make Geneviève cry,” said Cicely. “She
will be as merry as ever again in a little while, you will see.”
There was no intention of unkindness in her words, but Mr.
Fawcett chose to misunderstand her.
 “I think you are rather hard upon your cousin, Cicely,” he said
coldly. “It is all very well to be strong nerved and self controlled and
all the rest of it, but in my opinion that sort of thing may be carried
too far.”
“Trevor, you hurt me,” exclaimed Cicely. “More than once lately
you have said something like that to me and it pains me. I thought
you knew me better. And to-day is my birthday!”
No one could accuse her of want of feeling now. There were tears
in her eyes. Mr. Fawcett felt ashamed of himself.
“Dear Cicely, forgive me,” he exclaimed. “I am cross and
unreasonable. But it does seem to me sometimes that you think of
everybody else more than of me. But I am sorry to have been ill-
tempered, especially on your birthday. Next year if all’s well, I hope it
will be celebrated differently—I shall have a hand in the
arrangements.”
“I shall be twenty-one next year,” said Cicely. “If I were a son there
would be a fuss about it, I suppose.”
“Coming of age doesn’t matter to a married woman,” said Trevor
pointedly.
Still Cicely seemed determinedly blind to the meaning of his
remarks.
“I do hope papa will not be very tired,” she said. “Mr. Guildford
thinks it would do him good to come out oftener, Trevor.”
“I dare say it would,” replied Mr. Fawcett rather indifferently. “I
always thought Farmer an old woman. Still I very much prefer him to
your new authority, Cicely.”
“Mr. Guildford is considered exceedingly clever,” said Cicely.
“I dare say he is. It is the man himself I object to; he is so
uncommonly free and easy, and makes himself so much at home,”
replied Mr. Fawcett, kicking away some loose pebbles on the rough
path before him.
Miss Methvyn was silent. Trevor persisted.
 “Don’t you agree with me?” he said. “I don’t care about his
manner to Geneviève for one thing—he seems to think himself so
completely on a par with all of us.”
“I don’t want to vex you, Trevor,” replied Cicely, “but I cannot say I
agree with you in the least. I don’t think Mr. Guildford’s manner could
be kinder and nicer than it is. He is a little abrupt perhaps, but that is
often the case with men who spend their time in work instead of in
play.”
Mr. Fawcett laughed, but his laugh was not genial or hearty.
“I had better not say anything more about him, I think,” he
remarked carelessly. Then, as if he were quite above feeling
annoyed by what Cicely had said, he changed the subject. “I want to
see your father very much, Cicely,” he said. “What is his best time? I
can come at any time you like to-morrow.”
“The afternoon would be best, I think,” said Cicely with a little
surprise and anxiety in her tone. “It isn’t about anything that will
worry him, Trevor?” she added.
There was no time for Mr. Fawcett to reply, for just at this moment
a turn in the path brought them up to Geneviève and Miss Fanny
Kettering, who, having arrived at the foot of the Witch’s Ladder, were
now staring about them in bewilderment as to which was the right
way to go. Geneviève was laughing as the new-comers drew near,
but when she saw that they were Cicely and Mr. Fawcett she grew
suddenly silent. Cicely noticed it, but imagined her cousin’s change
able humour to be simply the result of the little excitement of the day.
Trevor noticed it, and set it down to some meddling fool or other who
had been frightening the poor little soul again, and resolved to find
out the reason of the tears and agitation of which her pretty face still
bore traces.
“I wonder if we shall ever come here again,” said Cicely, suddenly,
as they were all preparing to leave the copse, for the afternoon was
well advanced by now, and Colonel Methvyn had already been
wheeled away in his Bath chair. No one heard her but Geneviève
and Mr. Guildford, who happened to be standing near.
 Geneviève opened her eyes and stared at Cicely in surprise.
“Why should we not come here again?” she exclaimed.
“I don’t know,” said Cicely; “it was a stupid thing to say. It was just
a feeling that came over me. Birthdays and anniversaries make one
look backwards and forwards in a silly, childish way.”
“In a more advanced state of society, perhaps, we shall have got
rid of them,” observed Mr. Guildford.
“Got rid of what?” inquired Mr. Fawcett, coming up to them laden
with an armful of his mother’s shawls. His tone was friendly and
good-natured, he evidently meant to please Cicely by behaving with
more cordiality to the Sothernbay surgeon; and his cousin rewarded
him with a smile as she answered,
“Of birthdays and festivals of all kinds. Mr. Guildford thinks that
when the world gets wiser holidays will be discarded. We shall be
too big for them,” she said.
“Nay, Miss Methvyn,” exclaimed Mr. Guildford, “you have twisted
my meaning a little. I should be sorry to look forward to the world’s
ever growing beyond holidays. What a dreadful place it would be!”
“But too much work would be infinitely better than too much play,”
said Cicely. “Life to me would be utterly insupportable without plenty
of things one must do.”
“I hate must,” said Trevor.
“I love it,” said Cicely.
“We are like Jack Sprat and his wife,” observed Trevor, laughing.
Cicely grew crimson. “I wish you would not turn everything into
ridicule, Trevor,” she said, with an impatience very unlike her usual
manner.
As she spoke she became aware that Mr. Guildford was
observing her with a curious mixture of expressions in his face.
Something in what she saw helped her to recover her composure.
 “Don’t you agree with me, Mr. Guildford?” she said. “You must
know something of hard work—don’t you prefer it to having nothing
to do but to amuse yourself?”
“I can hardly say I have ever known what it is to feel free to
amuse myself. I have had to work hard all my life, but I have not got
tired of it yet,” the young man replied simply. “But the truth of it is that
too much play becomes very hard work, I suspect.”
“It depends on the person,” said Trevor. “You, for instance, Cicely,
set to work even at croquet with such earnestness and consideration
that it is quite fatiguing to watch you, and Miss Casalis, on the other
hand, flutters over her most laborious duties as if—as if—”
“As if she were a butterfly, and I a drone,” said Cicely lightly. She
felt touched by Trevor’s good humour, and conscious that she had
hardly deserved it. Geneviève looked up and laughed, for the first
time since the beginning of the little conversation.
“I think not that I have done even as much work as a butterfly
since I have been in England,” she said.
“What would you be doing if you were at home now—at Hivèritz?”
asked Cicely.
“At home? Home is not Hivèritz just now. They are all in the
mountains. Ah, there we occupy ourselves so well! We make the
confitures, we help the old farm wife with the butter, the cheese, we
seek the eggs. Ah, the life in the mountains is charming!” she
replied.
“How nice!” said Cicely contemplatively. “I should like not to be
rich—I mean,” she added hastily, fearful of hurting Geneviève by the
inference of her words—“I mean I should like to manage everything
for ourselves, without servants; to feel that one really worked for
one’s living would be so satisfactory.”
“Oh, you silly girl!” said Mr. Fawcett with a smile.
Mr. Guildford smiled too.
“You would find it very different from what you fancy, in practice, I
fear, Miss Methvyn,” he said; “still, the instinct is a sound and healthy
one.”
“Sound and healthy!” repeated Trevor to himself. “Can’t he forget
for five minutes that he’s a doctor?”
CHAPTER II.
 SHADOWS BEFORE.

“What makes her in the wood so late,

A furlong from the castle gate?”
Christabel.

TREVOR called at Greystone the next day, and was closeted with
Colonel Methvyn for some time. Cicely and her cousin were in the
house when he came, but, considerably to their surprise, he went
away without seeing them. Geneviève said nothing, but felt annoyed.
Cicely grew uneasy and anxious, for at dinner it struck her that her
mother looked grave and preoccupied; but she had no opportunity
during the evening of inquiring if there was any cause for this, as
Mrs. Methvyn went straight from the dining-room to her husband,
leaving the two girls to their own devices.
“What shall we do, Geneviève,” said Cicely. “I fancy mother will
stay in my father’s room this evening. Shall we go out a little? It is
deliciously mild.”
 “Is your father not well to-day?” asked Geneviève, without
replying to her cousin’s proposal.
“Oh! yes. I mean, at least, he is just the same as usual,”
answered Cicely. “He said this morning he felt a very little tired with
yesterday, but he was in good spirits, and he seems to think the little
change did him good.”
“Then what for did my aunt look so distraite—so sad at dinner?”
asked Geneviève. She was standing listlessly by the window, but as
she spoke she turned round with a certain sharpness which annoyed
her cousin more than the question itself.
“If my mother is anxious or uneasy, I don’t think either you or I
should notice it or make any remarks about it,” said Cicely coldly.
She had hardly uttered the words before she wished she could recall
them. “Geneviève meant no harm,” she reflected; “it is because I am
uneasy too, that I am cross, but that is no excuse.”
She began to think how she could best soften the harshness of
what she had said.
“Geneviève,” she was commencing, “I am sorry I said that; don’t
think I meant it—” when her cousin interrupted her.
“You are not sorry. You are not kind,” she exclaimed
vehemently.“You wish that I should be a stranger. Nobody cares for
me here, nobody. I wish, oh! that I wish I had never come to
England.” And she wound up by bursting into tears and sobbing
violently.
Cicely was dismayed. She was sorry for Geneviève, she was
vexed with herself for having seemed unkind, but she also thought
her cousin very silly. Exaggerated display of feeling chilled and
repelled her; it cost her, therefore, a little effort to try to smooth poor
Geneviève’s ruffled plumage.
“Dear Geneviève,” she said gently, “I am sorry, very sorry for
having hurt you. I am sure you meant no harm, and I am very
unkind. It is quite true what Trevor says.”
 The last few words were added in a lower voice, as if speaking to
herself; but they caught Geneviève’s attention far more effectually
than what had preceded them.
“What does he say?” she exclaimed, raising her flushed, tear-
stained face from the sofa on which she had thrown herself in her
outburst.
Cicely hesitated. “I should not have said it,” she began; “but, after
all, I dare say it doesn’t matter. Trevor said I was cold and formal in
my manner to you, and that he was afraid you were not happy with
us, and that it was my fault Is it so, Geneviève?” she added a little
wistfully.
But Geneviève did not answer directly.
“When did Mr. Fawcett say that?” she asked. “I never said to him
you were not kind, Cicely.”
“Oh! no; he never said you did. He only spoke from what he had
noticed himself. He has said something of the sort two or three
times. It was all out of kindness and regard for you,” explained Cicely
hastily, a little afraid of rousing another storm.
Her fears were ill-founded. Geneviève’s irritation seemed to have
completely disappeared.
“I know,” she said; “I know. He is very kind. He is like your brother,
is he not, Cicely?”
“We have been together all our lives,” answered Cicely evasively.
“Yes,” pursued Geneviève, hardly noticing the reply; “yes, he is
like your brother. It has seemed so to me since ever I came. But you
must tell him it is not true that I am unhappy here. You are very good
and kind, dear Cicely, and I am very cross. I am sometimes so that
the least word makes me cry, and then I wish I were at home again;
but it soon passes. I love you and I love to be here, and you must
forgive what I said. Kiss me, my cousin, and let us forget the foolish
words.”
She held up her rosy lips, and Cicely kissed her; it would have
been difficult to refuse to do so. Cicely felt a little bewildered by the
girl’s changeableness, but was glad that peace should be restored,
and could not but own to herself that, childish as she might be,
Geneviève was very sweet.
For the rest of the evening she was sweetness itself. They went
out a little after awhile and paced slowly up and down the avenue,
where the shade of the trees brought night before its time. It was a
mild evening, mild but not oppressive, for little gusts of breeze came
every now and then sweeping round among the leaves and causing
the branches to nod fantastically in the waning light. Once or twice
Miss Methvyn shivered.
“Are you cold, Cicely?” asked Geneviève.
“No, not exactly, but there is something rather chilly in the air,” she
replied. “Don’t you feel it? If I did not know it was only June, I should
fancy it October. There is an autumn feeling about, though it is mild
too.”
“I did not feel it so,” said Geneviève. Then suddenly a thought
struck her. “I wonder, Cicely, why Mr. Fawcett went away in so great
a hurry this?” she exclaimed.
“Did he?” said Cicely absently. “I thought he was a long time with
papa.”
“Oh! yes; he was till five o’clock in Colonel Methvyn’s room,” said
Geneviève. “It was after that I mean that he must have been in a
hurry. I was thinking if he had stayed to dinner, we might have
walked part of the way home with him it is such a pretty way, by the
mill.”
“Yes, and you have never been that way,” said Cicely. “We can go
any day you like. I generally bring the key of the door into the
plantations with me. But it is too late to-night to set off on a walk.”
“Oh! yes; not to-night,” said Geneviève, and they slowly turned
back to the house again.
“Are you beginning to like this old place, Geneviève?” said Cicely
suddenly.
 They were standing still, in front of the porch, and as Miss
Methvyn spoke, her gaze rested lovingly on the quaint old house,
every stone of which seemed a part of her life, and then wandered
away over the garden and the trees and through the network of
branches to where the summer moon was slowly rising. “It will be a
lovely moonlight night,” she added softly.
“I love not the moon, she makes me sad,” said Geneviève
decidedly.
Cicely laughed gently. “You silly little thing,” she said. Then she
stooped and kissed Geneviève and they both went in.
When Cicely reached her own room, she found her mother there,
waiting for her.
“Your father has just fallen asleep,” said Mrs. Methvyn; “it was not
worth while for me to go downstairs again, and I wanted to see you
alone, Cicely. And I did not want Geneviève to fancy there was
anything the matter.”
“Is anything the matter? I thought you looked dull at dinner,” said
Cicely quickly. “You don’t think papa is worse?”
“No, I think he is very well. But he is anxious and worried,”
answered Mrs. Methvyn.
Cicely’s face grew grave, but she said nothing
“Trevor was here to-day, you know, Cicely,” her mother went on;
“he was a long time with your father. You can guess what they were
talking about.”
Cicely sat down on the floor at her mother’s feet and laid her head
upon Mrs. Methvyn’s knee.
“Mamma,” she said, “I thought it was fixed that nothing more
should be said about it just yet. Mamma, I cannot leave you yet.”
“But my child, it must come, and when ever it comes it will seem
as bad.”
“No, not if Amiel were home again. If she were here, I should not
mind leaving you half so much,” said Cicely. “I don’t understand it,
mother. Long ago—when it was first spoken of—it was always taken
for granted that I should stay with you till Amiel came home. What
has made any change? Is it Trevor’s doing?”
Mrs. Methvyn hesitated. “Trevor has always hoped things might
hasten the marriage,” she said, “but—I don’t think he felt at liberty to
say much about hastening it. It is your father who seems to wish it so
much, and of course Trevor is delighted to have him on his side. And
the Fawcetts wish it too.”
“But why does papa wish it so much? It is very unnatural,” said
Cicely with a tinge of bitterness.
“Don’t say that, dear,” remonstrated her mother. “Your father only
wishes it because he dreads the possibility of your being left without
a protector. He has a very high opinion of Sir Thomas. As your
father-in-law, your interests would be even more to him than now.”
Cicely remained silent for a minute or two. Then she said
consideringly, “I suppose it is natural that papa should wish to see
me married, but do you know, mother, there are times when I wish
things had been left to take their chance. Even if I were left to “fend
for myself,” as old Elspeth used to say, I should get on very well, I
believe. I should not dread having to fight my way, mother. I should
like to know something of the other side of life. I feel sometimes as if
there was a sort of energy in me which will never need to be used.”
“But, my child, you forget your position,” said her mother. “Our
anxiety to see you well—I mean happily and safely—married, arises
greatly from the fact of your being your father’s heiress. I did not feel
half as anxious about Amiel’s future—long ago when you were both
children and I used to look forward, as all mothers do, I suppose—as
about yours. The position of a girl who is known to be an heiress is a
very dangerous one.”
“But I have you and papa to take care of me and advise me,”
persisted Cicely.
“Yes, but for how long? There is no good trying to deceive
ourselves, my darling. Your father’s life is a very uncertain one, and
—I can scarcely bear to say it to you, dear—but there are times
when I can hardly picture myself as living without him. My whole life
has been so given to him, and you know how he has deserved all
the devotion I can give him. And it would be terrible to us to leave
you alone, Cicely.”
“I see, yes I see how you feel,” answered the girl after a moment’s
silence. “I dare say I should feel the same in your place. But,
mamma, I wish I had had a brother—then I should have been able to
choose my own life; not to marry at all, very likely.”
“Cicely, you make me unhappy when you speak so,” said her
mother gravely. “You have been left free to choose. Your father and I
approve of your marriage to Trevor, but it was not forced upon you.
You do not wish to draw back from it, surely? If you do, however it
may disappoint us, it will be far better for you to say so. Cicely, my
dear child, you frighten me.”
“But you are not to be frightened, you are not to be unhappy
about me, mother,” exclaimed Cicely, smiling up reassuringly in Mrs.
Methvyn’s face. “I don’t want to break off my engagement to Trevor. I
am quite happy to be going to marry him some time only—only—I
don’t want it to be just yet. I want to stay at home with you and
papa.”.
“But it cannot always be only going to be,” said Mrs. Methvyn,
smiling too, not withstanding her anxiety. “It is not using Trevor or his
parents well to keep putting it off. And it disappoints your father.”
“If it disappoints and worries papa, that is a different matter,”
replied Cicely. “I would marry Trevor to-morrow morning if it would do
papa any good. As for the Fawcetts, I don’t see that it is using them
ill, mother. When we were first engaged, it was understood we were
not to be married for a long time, and I don’t believe that Sir Thomas
and Lady Frederica are in such a desperate hurry to have me for
their daughter. They like me very well, but they would have liked lots
of other girls just as well. Geneviève, for instance, they were both
perfectly captivated by her, and no wonder. She is a hundred times
prettier than I, and she kisses Lady Frederica on both cheeks! And
as for Trevor, mother, I am sure he is very contented to go on being
comfortably engaged without any fuss. He dislikes fuss exceedingly.”
 “You are talking nonsense, Cicely, to make me forget the serious
part of it,” said Mrs. Methvyn. “But you must not. It is perfectly true
that both your father and Trevor wish something to be decided.
Trevor has begun to think of it very seriously of late I can see.”
“What is it that papa does want? Tell me plainly, mother. I will not
joke any more,” said Cicely growing suddenly quiet.
“I think, indeed I am sure,” answered her mother, “that he would
like your marriage to be this summer.”
“This summer; oh, mother! It is only three months since Charlie
died,” said Cicely, her voice quivering. “Mother, I tried to be cheerful
at that time, because I knew you had enough on your mind, but, oh! I
have missed him so! Don’t send me away from you yet. Six months
hence perhaps I shall have a different feeling, and it does seem a
sudden change. A few months ago there was no thought of my being
married this year. I don’t understand it.”
“But I have explained it to you, dear; it is quite easy to
understand. Are you sure you understand yourself, Cicely? You
speak of wishing you had difficulties and obstacles to face, but yet
you shrink from any change in your life?”
“It is different,” said Cicely. “There will be no scope for my
energies, mother, in my new life. Living at Lingthurst will be ever so
much smoother and more luxurious than here even! I shall have no
house-keeping, no responsibilities. Of course I shall try to be like a
daughter to Trevor’s parents, but I shall always be wishing they were
you and papa, and fancying you want me. We shall be so dreadfully
rich! I wish Trevor had his way to make, and that we were going to
live in a little house of our own!”
Mrs. Methvyn sighed. There had been a time in her life when she
had known what it was not to be “dreadfully rich,” when poverty had
destroyed much of the charm even of “a little house of her own.”
“But then in my case there were worse troubles than poverty,” she
reflected. She had been so anxious for Cicely’s happiness, surely it
was not all to turn out a mistake.
Cicely heard the sigh and it grieved her.
 “Mother,” she exclaimed hastily, “I am wrong to speak so. I am
foolish and discontented. Of course, I know it is right for Trevor to
live at Lingthurst, and I dare say I shall find plenty of interests. But,
mother, it must not be just yet. Not for six months. Will you tell my
father what I say. He will not be vexed; it will not do him harm or
trouble him, will it?”
“No, I think not. Not, at least if it is really definitely fixed for six
months hence. I hope the Fawcetts will not be disappointed.”
“What does Trevor expect? Did he go away this afternoon under
the impression that it was all going to be settled to be at once? As if I
were a doll without any feelings of my own!” said Cicely with some
bitterness, again.
“Oh! no,” replied her mother,“he went away in rather low spirits. I
told him I feared the idea of leaving us all so very soon would be
startling to you, and I asked him to let me speak about it to you first. I
am rather sorry for Trevor sometimes.”
“Do you think I don’t consider him enough, mother?” said Cicely
anxiously. “I think I do—at least, till quite lately there never seemed
to be a cloud between us. But, somehow, Trevor is a little changed. I
am sure he is—I don’t understand it. I understand my father’s having
grown morbid about it, but I don’t know why Trevor wants to hurry it
on so. Mother,” she added, “I will speak to Trevor myself about it. It
will be better.”
“Very well,” said her mother. “It is getting late, Cicely, say good-
night to me, dear. But, by the bye, I am forgetting something I
wanted to speak about to you. Cicely, I think Geneviève should now
be told of your engagement. She has been here several weeks, and
it may seem strange to her afterwards to have been so long kept in
the dark.”
“I almost think she has guessed it—or partly, at least,” said Cicely.
“But I am not quite sure. Yes, I think you had better tell her, mamma.
If I am really going to be married in six months,” she went on, with a
faint smile, “I suppose I shall begin to realise it. Till now it has
seemed so indefinite, I could hardly feel as if there were anything to
tell—I felt as if Trevor and I should always be just the same to each
other as we are now.”
She gave a little sigh, but repeated, “Yes, please, tell Geneviève
then, mamma.”
“Geneviève may have confidences of her own some day,” said
Mrs. Methvyn; “did you notice how much Mr. Guildford and she
seemed to have to say to each other yesterday?”
Cicely looked grave. “I don’t think Geneviève is the kind of girl,”
she began—“I mean, I don’t fancy Mr. Guildford is thinking of
marrying at all,” she went on. “His head is full of other things.”
“Then he is just the sort of man who will be startled some day by
finding he has a heart as well as a head,” observed Mrs. Methvyn
oracularly.
“Perhaps,” said Cicely quietly, and then her mother left her.
The idea of Mr. Guildford’s being attracted by her cousin was
somehow distasteful to Miss Methvyn; it jarred against the estimate
she had unconsciously formed of him. “I thought he was above
things of that kind,” she said to herself dissatisfiedly, “and Geneviève
is so young and childish. Still,” she went on to reflect, “perhaps, on
that very account she would better suit him as a wife.”
The suggestion nevertheless did not find favour with her. She felt
restless and uneasy. She dreaded the impending talk with Trevor;
she was afraid of making him angry by her refusal to agree to an
immediate marriage, though in this refusal she felt herself perfectly
justified. A slight consciousness of not having been treated by Mr.
Fawcett of late, with quite his usual delicacy and consideration
added to her depression and annoyance.
“I don’t think Trevor should have talked about it to any one till we
had talked it over together,” she thought. “It cannot have been
altogether my father’s doing. However anxious he may be for the
marriage, he would not have startled me by proposing that it should
be so very soon. Next month! Trevor must have let papa think that
he and I had talked about it, and that was not kind or considerate.
For it was always understood we were not to be married for a long
time—and lately, since Charlie died, I was glad to put the leaving
home as far back in my thoughts as possible. And Trevor
understands all I feel, so well or, at least, he used to do.”
It was nearly midnight—a midnight, as Cicely had foretold, nearly
as bright as day, for the moon was at the full and the sky was
cloudless. Cicely was restless and excited; she had dismissed her
maid at the beginning of her conversation with her mother, now she
felt disinclined to go to bed, and sat by the still open window looking
out into the garden. The breeze had fallen, every object shone out in
silvery white distinctness against the black shadows, all the shades
and colours of the daylight world merged in the one sharp contrast. A
silly fancy crossed Cicely’s brain.
“I wonder,” she thought, “if there are any worlds where there is no
stronger light than this. How tired we should get of the everlasting
blacks and whites—it would be like living in an engraving!”
She leant her arms on the broad, low window-sill and gazed
before her. Away down to the right ran the path across the park
leading to the plantations, beyond which again lay the entrance to
the long extent of the Lingthurst woods. This was Trevor’s short cut
to the Abbey. How often Cicely had watched him coming over the
park; how many a time she had run to unlock the little door in the
wall, to save him the additional half-mile of road round by the lodge!
Many an old remembrance stole across her mind as she sat looking
out on the familiar scene in its moonlight dress. Suddenly a small
object moving in the distance caught her attention; a figure was
hastening over the park in the direction of the Abbey—a small dark
figure running, as Cicely could perceive as it drew nearer, at full
speed. Who could it be? Twelve o’clock had struck since the girl had
taken up her station at the window—a strange hour for a child (for
such the figure seemed to be) to be out alone in the great bare
expanse of the park, which no one had occasion to cross except
visitors to the Abbey. Only one conjecture occurred to Cicely as a
possible explanation of what she saw—some cottager’s child must
be ill, and in distress and alarm the parents must be sending for
assistance to some of the outdoor servants belonging to the house.
So Cicely remained at the window watching the gradually