helpless of women. Under the plea of ill health she had at a very
early period of their marriage given up all attempt to manage the
affairs of the household, and her nerves were wholly unequal to
the strain of looking after her children. It was noticeable that
though her health was unequal to the discharge of her duties, she
was always well enough to take part in any pleasure or gayety which
might be going on; and as none of the many doctors who attended her
were able to discover any specific ailment, the general opinion
was that Mrs. Sankey's ill health was the creation of her own
imagination. This, however, was not wholly the case. She was not
strong; and although, had she made an effort, she would have been
able to look after her children like other women, she had neither
the disposition nor the training to make that effort.

Her son regarded her with the sort of pity, not unmingled with
contempt, with which young people full of life and energy are apt
to regard those who are weak and ailing without having any specific
disease or malady which would account for their condition.

"All the bothers fall upon father," he would say to himself; "and
if mother did but make up her mind she could take her share in them
well enough. There was he walking about for two hours this evening
with little Lucy in his arms, because she had fallen down and hurt
herself; and there was mother lying on the sofa reading that book
of poetry, as if nothing that happened in the house was any affair
of hers. She is very nice and very kind, but I do wish she wouldn't
leave everything for father to do. It might have been all very well
before he lost his leg, but I do think she ought to make an effort
now."