The Merry Past 



place for reasons of health have been held to be 

 " necessaries," for which a husband must pay. A 

 wife may borrow money for these purposes, and the 

 lender has the right of action against a husband. 



The criminal law is more favourable towards 

 women than towards men. If a crime is com- 

 mitted by a married woman in the presence of her 

 husband, the law presumes that she acted under his 

 immediate coercion, and she receives no punishment. 

 This principle has been repeatedly applied to such 

 serious crimes as burglary, larceny, forgery, felonious 

 assaults, and a woman is allowed by the law to bring 

 an action against her husband for the protection of 

 her separate property and, under certain circum- 

 stances, may even be able to obtain an injunction to 

 restrain her husband from entering her house. She 

 may bring an action against him for trespass to her 

 separate property and for wrongfully interfering 

 with her business or libelling her in respect of it. 

 A husband cannot sue his wife for trespass or any 

 other legal wrong she may commit against him. 



Favoured by law during her husband's life, this 

 advantageous state of affairs extends even after the 

 tomb has closed over him. If a husband dies in- 

 testate and leaves a childless widow, the whole of 

 his real and personal estate becomes hers, if it does 

 not exceed ;^5oo in value ; and if it does exceed 

 that value, she is entitled, first, to ;^500, and then 

 to one-half of the residue. The administration of 

 her husband's estate can also be claimed by her. 



When, wayworn by the many cares of a troubled 



298 



