Jeff Morris:

| In a variety of cultures where marriages were arranged, it was not
| uncommon for the bride to 11 or 12 years old, or even younger. This,
| however, didn't mean she was ready to become a fulltime housewife.
| I've heard descriptions of the village "child-brides" playing the same
| games they played before marriage. Of course, I'm sure things went
| downhill after they started having children.

Yeah... imagine playing hide-and-seek with a toddler following you
everywhere.

BTW, just to get this slightly on-topic again, I remember a story
about a British tall-ship being sold to Norway about a hundred
years ago. The new owners wanted to name her after a politician
(who was male, of course, as they usually were at that time). The
owners' representative in England checked the ship, and sent them
a telegram: "Name wrong. Lady in front."

Jørgen