DIVORCE DURING THE REIGN OF TERROR. 159 



lover," and that the wife never becomes less dear 

 than the bride ; but, although the husband may 

 not find all the perfections his excited fancy may 

 have portrayed in the object of his choice when 

 a lover, I still believe and hope the cases are rare 

 in Avhich any man, however depraved, could part 

 with her who once loved him, as woman only can 

 and does love, without a pang of remorse. 



There is a curious fact related of the " Keign of 

 Terror" in France, when the law of divorce was 

 made so easy that it was a very common occur- 

 rence to find persons who had previously availed 

 themselves of this privilege, again re-entering into 

 those bonds with their first partners from which 

 they had once so eagerly sought to be released. 

 Estrangement or indifference after marriage would 

 become more rare were persons about to take 

 upon them that holy state, particularly women, to 

 adopt that sage but rather antiquated piece of 

 advice, to " eat a peck of salt with a man before 

 she accepted him," which would take much less 

 time than may appear likely. We eat salt in 

 bread, butter, bacon, cheese, tongues, spiced meat, 

 salt with eggs, cold fowl, or game for breakfast, 

 and with all kinds of viands at dinner, so that a 

 peck of salt may be computed to be consumed by 

 one person in less than a twelvemonth, which is 



