Sometimes the difficulty is not to deter the wife from prematurely
taking her husband back but to induce her to relent when the proper time
comes.

Martin Long was intemperate, his wife was high-tempered; her
relatives advised her to leave him and he deserted, leaving the
relatives to provide for her and the three children. He was away two
years; then, becoming homesick and wanting to re-establish his home
if possible, he returned. The wife caused his arrest when he was
seeking an interview with her. The probation officer in whose care
he was released became convinced of his genuine sincerity and
regret, but the wife, still on the advice of her relatives, refused
to see him. He persisted in his hope of a reconciliation and made
extraordinary efforts during a winter of industrial depression,
putting his pride in his pocket and taking laborer's work, which he
had never done before. He finally got a good position and saved
money enough to begin housekeeping. The probation officer kept in
touch with the wife, first persuading her to receive a letter from
Mr. Long and answer it through the probation office. He interested
her in the details of her husband's struggle, and finally, after a
whole year of probation and with the help of her pastor, he induced
her to return. The probation officer kept in close touch with the
family for some months and reports: "Three years have elapsed since
that time; the family is now in a nearby city where they are living
harmoniously and in comfortable circumstances."

A case worker who is remarkable for her success in the treatment of
estranged couples, when asked how she did it answered laconically,
"talks and talks and talks." A study of her case records, however, shows