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    CONSTANCY MISPLACED. 87

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    •The Pastor Replied: " Dear Elise, I Wil...

    for tlie Pastor as well . " Dear Christian , i _hojoe you won't forget your such wife dates ' s — birthday a thing ; I of know no consequence you have a very among short ourselves memory but for

    , naturally a young wife expects some attention . " It was a great vexation to Sternthat he had begun the day in so prosaic a

    manner ; he would , have liked very well to make up matters ; he re-entered the room with a humorous apologybut Elise was so

    , unapproachable _^ so cold , and so absorbed in the consciousness of being misunderstood , that he , taking offence in his turn , quickly

    retired . This birthday had certainly done little to effect a reconciliation .

    Sweet words were not much in Stern ' s way , and he had a erfect horror of scenes and reconciliations . " If people know

    p how they stand with each other , when they love one another and wish to do what is right , why should there be any fuss about

    it ? " There was good sense in this reasoning ; women like scenes , and thingin factwhich excites the emotions , and in some

    instances every are too , ready , to abuse the goodnature of the husband who tries to conform himself to every changing mood ; but he

    forgot , demonstr like many ation men of , that affectionate that very feeling common , too sense often which destroys shuns the

    poetry every of life , which , in spite of the unavoidable prose of daily existenceht to exercise an influence ; he forgot the power of a

    tender loving , oug word over the heart of a woman , and how becoming it is for a strong proud man to yield at times , even to the

    weakness of his wife , to exert himself to cheer her depressed spirit , and to give her the support of his guiding hand _^ even under triflin

    The g dry ann mann oyances er . of so many men who content themselves with welldoes not the sacred

    merely " meaning " certainly destroy nature of the marriage tie , but it too often renders it barren and prosaic the blossoms of life fade awayand it needs some great

    and often ; sorrowful emotion ( for which , Providence generally provides ) to bring the husband and wife to the full consciousness of

    the responsibility of their relationship . Elise ' s nature it is true was not adapted for a common fate ; too

    prone , too much accustomed to make herself her centre , she did not attempt to gather up again the threads which were unravelled

    by trifling misunderstandings . Their paths went further and further asunder . Love was quite a necessity to the warm genial

    nature of the Pastor ; he contemplated with terror the ever increasing separation , and they had both bitterly to atone for their

    misthere concep should tion of be the no deep iving significance by halves of the no reservations marriage bond no , in expecta which

    g , , tion that love will come in its own time . Certainly there will be a

    always growth something and an increase to learn , for , but married the whole life is heart a school and the where ent there ire wi is ll

    Constancy Misplaced. 87

    CONSTANCY MISPLACED . 87

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), April 1, 1863, page 87, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01041863/page/15/