Mrs. Eden: An engaged girl ought not to...

Mrs. Eden: An engaged girl ought not to have a headache--no girl ought. It’s just one of those things that makes a man ponder.

[Duchess: Ponder?]

Mrs. Eden: Reflect. A man loves to think a girl is like an angel--beautiful pink and white right through, with no clockwork. The moment she complains of a headache, or toothache, or a chilblain on the heel, the angel game is off, and she’s got to try and hold her own as a simple mortal. And as a mortal she’s not in it with a man. No, it’s angel or nothing with us women. I remember my Mater saying to me when I was engaged to Jack, “Sybil, now mind! Enjoy the very best of health till you have been married at least ten years; and then be sure you have an excellent motive for cracking-up.”

Pinero, Sir Arthur Wing, The Gay Lord Quex, Project Gutenberg, 2005, pp. 148-149.