My wife could pray--she could kneel like a lovely saint in the dim religious light of the sacred altars, her deep eyes upturned to the blameless, infinitely reproachful Christ--and look you! each word she uttered was a blasphemy, destined to come back upon herself as a curse.
Prayer is dangerous for liars--it is like falling willfully on an upright naked sword.

Used as an honorable weapon the sword defends--snatched up as the last resource of a coward it kills..