Daphné Du Maurier

Dozing, she thought in retrospect how her life had been building up
towards this moment, year in, year out, almost from alley days. That early
training, as a cockney child, sharpened her wit and made her seize her
chances: the schooling at Ham put on a pseudo-polish: marriage with
Joseph got the worst over young—so much so, that nothing a man could do,
now or in the future, would break her heart. As to the rest… all lovers made
some mark. She knew how to absorb the benefit and pass it on, be grateful
for the teaching. What she had learned from men, not only lovers, was to
the purpose in a man-made world. Therefore, become their equal. Play their
game, and add to the game the sense of intuition.