is generally observable
in those who have recently returned from a journey. The cause of this
depression was, alas! not difficult to discover, for John's former
abstraction and moodiness seemed to have returned with an increased
force. It was a source of infinite pain to Mrs. Temple, and perhaps
even more so to me, to observe this sad state of things. Constance
never complained, and her affection towards her husband seemed only to
increase in the face of difficulties. Yet the matter was one which could
not be hid from the anxious eyes of loving kinswomen, and I believe that
it was the consciousness that these altered circumstances could not
but force themselves upon our notice that added poignancy to my poor
sister's grief. While not markedly neglecting her, my brother had
evidently ceased to take that pleasure in her company which might
reasonably have been expected in any case under the circumstances of
a recent marriage, and a thousand times more so when his wife was so
loving and beautiful a creature as Constance Temple. He appeared little
except at meals, and not even always at lunch, shutting himself up for
the most part in his morning-room or study and playing continually on
the violin. It was in vain that we attempted even by means of his music
to win him back to a sweeter mood. Again and again I begged him to allow
me to accompany him on the pianoforte, but he would never do so, always
putting me off with some excuse. Even when he sat with us in the
evening, he spoke little, devoting himself for the most part to reading.
His books were almost always Greek or Latin, so that I am ignorant of
the subjects of his study; but he was content that either Constance or
I should play on the pianoforte, saying that the melody, so far from
distracting his attention, helped him rather to appreciate what he was
reading. Constance always begged me to allow her to take her place at
the instrument on these occasions, and would play to him sometimes for
hours without receiving a word of thanks, being eager even in this
unreciprocated manner to testify her love and devotion to him.

Christmas Day, usually so happy a season, brought no alleviation of
our gloom. My brother's reserve continually increased, and even his
longest-established habits appeared changed. He had been always most
observant of his religious duties, attending divine service with the
utmost regularity whatever the weather might be, and saying that it was
a duty a