And some of us know it all our lives.

We are living, moving puppets.

We let ourselves be dragged here and pushed there, the victim of one who happens to have more energy of mind, a greater steadfastness of purpose, a keener grasp of the situation called life.

We smirk and smile, and lose the game because we have begun by being anvils, and are afraid of trying to be hammers.
But Etta Sydney Bamborough had to deal with metal of a harder grain than the majority of us.

Claude de Chauxville was for the moment forced to assume the humble role of anvil because he had no choice.