PHILOSOPHIC MATRIMONY.

Waikato Times, Volume VI, Issue 331, 27 June 1874, Page 2

PHILOSOPHIC MATRIMONY.

In the early days 6f her married; life, she had enjoyed 1 tlie cosy domestic evenings when .she jjmd her husband were alone with an entertaining b/sok ; or perhaps :the reminiscencejof a play seen toge|her the night before, than which there is no be^eVppvocative of pksant chat, , would equally interest them. But she l nad' not escaped' the^eSmess toj which earnest, reformers, and people who think th^y have got Missions,' are. subject\ the- unefefi^rßuspicipn that any, acquiescence in ,the existing" order of things is treasonable to their., principles. „tshat which is common, they consider vulgar in the mean sense ; they would fain foregb eating, drinking, and sleeping, if it were possible; asit,is not, they sigfy, over those necessary funcubns as hximari imperfections. If one could clear, one's mind of, cant, it would be jiifnculfc to conceive why the'' performance of public dutiefQ should be more honourable than that of private. But it was the established custtfnr. foremen; to pay I most attention to the former,^ftod'wpih^h ito the. latter"; and therefore, the set With wh'o'in' Lticy had cast in her lot concluded that the arrangement mustbe wrong, and humiliating. to the,female sex.! 'Are we fit only for nurses and housekeepers? 1 they indignantly demanded. So Lucy Collinson learned to consider $ comfortable acquiescence in~H(e ordi— m ary joutine of-. domestic life to be in' some' way a cowardly connivance at.the^ barbaric th|eor^r of women being property. • >lAjad- after a w^ileliabitf^e|came a. second nature, arid she was so absorbed,by,h^r com-, mittees and meetings^ and lectures, that she had d^ time for, even a passing regret that home quiet and happines&had been sacriliced on the, altar of Publict)Uty. ' But to hand her husband over^to his club, or ahy s ayocations wliich might amuse , him, and to intrust the care of her children to servants, Tt^as one thing j to see, another, woman in a measure filling her place was quite another. . „ ,' 'j| ,* Sd jffenry Collinson found his wife..growin j cross,^ gloomy, aiid reserved"; she no longer talked to him, of the matters in wi^iph she was interested': so that altogether, he began to, feel' less^e^et'that he saw so little of her.- 'He attributed her.al&red demeanor to his refusal to provide 1 the second five hundred pounds for floating the scheme fqx* ;trajning female watchmakers, and -he was- deteiminejol not jto impoverish his family for, any- pjaa> hpwe^er beneficial, to manor woman kind, at large, he sav&np way toa^ reconciliation. How far the coldness between ma^ 1 and wife would have extended, and in what it would have resulted, cannot, be told, for it waS thayed by sickness. i f ;.\ .[j x *r _ _ r - , t ( One moaning, whHe Henry Oollixison was shaving^ hehau:dt,!Ducy call him, and 'going anto^e bedroom iound,h)er clinging to the dressing-table. j 'Where am If she cried faintly. the "matter with met I cannot see J', , "* ] \ He got her into bed again, and sent off for a doctor,, who said she, had a. low fever — and lie wfW not far out— only fit was a high one. _ j Miss Faversham had two strongly developed tastes for sea air and crowds. She had lived in London for her neice's sake, and on the girl's marriage mi. grated to Brighton for her own. >- So, whenj Lu C y ' was convalescent,, and the doctor prescribed, <jh an( 4.

of air, sho asked Henry Collinson to bring her there; an invitation readily enough accepted, for who would take an invalid into lodgings, when they had the chance of affording her the quiet, comfort and cookery of a home ? Getting well is a very pleasant process when you are young and have a good constitution, and are well nursed. You can be lazy, not merely with a safe conscience, but with a sense of laziness being a virtue ; no one may contradict or -worry you ; the nicest eatables and drinkables are provided for you, and your enjoyment of them is considered positively meretorious. And the sense of daily increasing strength i-> of itself a pleasure, and the joy which a child feels in mere existence is once more experienced. Lucy Collinson was happier now than she had been for years. She was drawn along the esplanades and piers in a chair, with her husband in attendance upon her; and when she got a little stronger she left it, and walked about at interval* leaning on his arm. It was quite like a second honeymoon. But the renewed happiness in her husband's companionship did not prevent another desire from increasing daily with her renewed forces. ' Cannot the children come down 1 ' she asked one day. 'They need not tiouble my aunt at all ; we could get lodgings for them, you know, somewhere. It seems such an age since I saw them.' ' I was thinking about that very thing,' said Henry Collinson ; ' only, I was not sure whether you could bear their noise yet. 1 ' 0 yes ; lam so much stronger. And besides, they would not be in the house. They will forget me, and begin to think Miss Tarrant their veritable mother, if they are left alone with her much longer.' Her voice faltered as she said this, and her astonished husband saw tear drops standing in her eyes. 'No fear of that ! ' he cried cheerfully. ' But we will have them down at once. What will you bet Redman does not follow in less than a week I }' ' Redman ! Is he so fond of the children as all that?' 1 No ; but he is of their governess. There ; it iB out now. J did not mean to have told you yet, for fear you should worry. They are engaged ; but Miss Tan-ant lefused to think about marrying him till yon weie well enough to look out for a successor.' A minute before, Lucy's maternal feelings were straggling with jealousy, so that- the desiie to see her children found expression with difficulty, because their goveruu&s must needs com^ with them. And now, one shoit sentence ha<l cleared the horizon. Her husband wondered much at the sudden manner in which her eyes brightened and her spirits rose, but put it all clown to delight that Miss Tan-ant should be so well provided for, and thought what a good Tinsel fisli woman his wife was • ' I daresay we shall be able to find some one just as good,' he said presently. 'Or do withoiit one,' rejoined Lucy. 'My place is filled in the different societies I have been working for, and I shall have mose leisure on my hands, when I get well, than has been the case for some time.' The subject was renewed that evening, when Miss Faversham was told that the children were coming to Brighton. 'I am glad of it, my dear,' she said. 'lam an old maid, and do not understand these tilings properly, but it seems to me that if I had children I should think it my first duty in this world to look after them. Besides, I hate what is unnatural. I had a cat di owned once because she ate her kittens. 1 don't bay that for you, Lucy, because, you always loved your young, and even your husband, when you had time to remember their existence. 1 ' I did not think it right to give up work I had once undertaken,' said Lucy. ' And very useful work a great deal of it is,' replied Miss Faversham- 'I have watched the progress of several of your schemes with the deepest interest ; only, I was rather sorry for Henry there.' ' I urged her on at first,' said Collinson. ' I know you did ; and that is where you made a mistake,' replied Miss Faversham. ' A few philosophers, who are very clever, very enei-getic — men of original thought, who are worshipped by their disciples, can afford to marry women who devote their lives to lecturing, petitioning, and passing resolutions ; indeed, they are probably the happiei for having mates who can ruu in harness with them. But there are only about half-a-dozen such, men in England, and you are not one of them.'