286 The Wife of Seven Husbands : [ Marcu, 
following day. He tried it a third time, and a fourth, and that night 
she did not come to his bed at all. The next morning she spoke to him, for 
the first time, upon the subject; she expressed more sorrow than anger 
—talked kindly to him—said she had hoped once, twice, and even thrice, 
that his coming home full of liquor might have been a mishap ; but she 
now felt forced to fear that drunkenness was becoming an usage with 
him; and she begged him, with tears in her eyes, as he prized her hap- 
piness, to stop in good time, ere it did in truth become an usage. He 
was moved by her earnestness, and promised her, and, at the time, 
himself determined to disquiet her no farther on this head; but an 
impulse, which’ somehow he could not resist, urged him in afew days to 
break his word. Twice more his conduct called forth pressing entreaties 
from his wife—the last time, indeed, they were mingled with some 
reproaches: but it all was of no effect upon Lessomour, he continued in 
the career he had began. The day after he had returned home, for the 
seventh time, in a pretended state of drunkenness, his wife said to him, 
« Martyn, I have prayed thee till I am weary: I now warn thee—take 
heed. As my husband, I owe thee love and duty ; but I can pay neither 
to a drunkard. Heed my warning, or woe upon us both !’’ 
And did Martyn still go on with the pursuit of his experiment >—He 
did. Although he saw it was losing him his wife’s love, and winning 
him her anger—her hate—he went on, with an unswerving resolution, 
which, in such a cause, seemed obstinacy, or madness, or worse. In the 
present enlightened age, I should not like to say he was bewitched, or to 
attribute to any supernatural influence the strong impulse which led hira 
on to do as he was doing, in spite of his better sense and better feeling 
—in spite of the love he had unquestionably borne his wife—in spite of 
the danger which he felt he was thrusting himself into and feared ; and 
yet I equally dislike to suppose that he was tempted to this severe trial 
of his wife’s love and duty either by too great faith in them, or a want 
of it ; though something, perhaps, of a similar nature was the trial to 
which Henry put his Emma, and Posthumus his Imogene: in neither 
case, indeed, so severe a one, nor, for his personal safety, may be, so 
dangerous ; but, whatever might have been his motive, it certainly to 
himself was as inexplicable as he owned it to be irresistible. Again, 
therefore, he transgressed, and was again threatened: again he reiterated 
his offence ; and then his wife said to him the next day, “ Goest thou 
forth to-day, Martyn ?” 
“IT must, indeed, Alice,” he answered; “ I have weighty business 
to do to-day.” 
*« Then mark me, Martyn. I am not going to pray thee; but I have 
warned thee once, and I have warned thee twice, and I now warn thee 
for the third and for the last time. Go at thy risk, and see thou heed this 
warning better than thou have done mine others. Go not forth to-day, 
Martyn; or, going, come not back to me as thou hast been wont of late 
to come. Better that thou stay from me altogether ; but better yet that 
thou stay with me altogether, Martyn.” 
«Nay, nay, I needs must go, Alice.” 
«« There needs no plea, Martyn, but thine own will—thine own stub- 
porn will—that will not bend to thy wife’s prayer. Ay! I said I 
would not pray thee, but Ido now. Look! see, Martyn! I am on my 
knees here to thee—and there are tears in mine eyes!—and, kneeling 
and weeping thus, I pray thee go not forth to-day. I have had dreams 
of late—dreams of bad foretoken, Martyn ; and only last night I did truly 
