All his old comforts of course he would not have,--nor the old
esteem and regard of men. But the luxury of a club dinner he might
enjoy. Unembarrassed evenings might be his,--with liberty to him to
pass them as he pleased. He knew many men who were separated from
their wives, and who seemed to be as happy as their neighbours.
And then he remembered how ugly Alexandrina had been this evening,
wearing a great tinsel coronet full of false stones, with a cold in
her head which had reddened her nose. There had, too, fallen upon
her in these her married days a certain fixed dreary dowdiness. She
certainly was very plain! So he said to himself, and then he went to
bed. I myself am inclined to think that his punishment was
sufficiently severe.
The next morning his wife still complained of headache, so that he
breakfasted alone. Since that positive refusal which he had given to
her proposition for inviting her brother, there had not been much
conversation between them. "My head is splitting, and Sarah shall
bring some tea and toast up to me, if you will not mind it.
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