physical weariness, yet still fiercely
determined to keep a tight grip on life and life's few real pleasures,
the greatest of which is perhaps the indulgence of love.

Like her first marriage this marriage was apparently a success. Lord
Sellingworth's cleverness fascinated his wife's brain, and led her to
value the pursuits of the intellect more than she had ever done before.
She was proud of his knowledge and wit, proud of being loved by a man of
obvious value. After this marriage her house became more than ever the
resort of the brilliant men of the day. But though Lord Sellingworth
undoubtedly improved his wife's mental capacities, enlarged the horizon
of her mind, and gave her new interests, without specially intending it
he injured her soul. For he increased her worldliness and infected
her with his atheism. She had always been devoted to the world. He
continually suggested to her that there was nothing else, nothing
beyond. All sense of mysticism had been left out of his nature. What he
called "priestcraft" was abhorrent to him. The various religions seemed
to him merely different forms of superstition, the assertions of their
leaders only varying forms of humbug. He was greedy in searching for
food to content the passions of the body, and was restless in pursuit of
nutriment for the mind. But not believing in the soul he took no trouble
about it.

Lady Sellingworth had this man at her feet. Nevertheless, in a certain
way he dominated her. In hard mental power he was much her superior, and
her mind became gradually subservient to his in many subtle ways. It was
in his day that she developed that noticeable and almost reckless egoism
which is summed up by the laconic saying, "after me the deluge." For
Lord Sellingworth's atheism was not of the type which leads to active
humanitarianism, but of the opposite type which leads to an exquisite
selfishness. And he led his wife with him. He taught her the whole
art of self-culture, and with it the whole art of self-worship, subtly
extending to her mind that which for long had been concerned mainly with
the body. They were two of the most selfish and two of the most charming
people in London. For they were both thorough bred and naturally
kind-hearted, and so there were always showers of crumbs falling from
their well-spread table for the benefit of those about them. Their
friends had a magnificent time with them and so did their servants. They
liked others to be pleased