though it grieved them
to the heart to do it. Mrs. Clare, be it said to her honor, remained
stanch, but even she only approved cautiously, and Mary had her
misgivings that she would advise a reconciliation if she once saw Bishop.
To add to the hopelessness of their case, the deserted husband restrained
his rage so well, and made so much of Eliza's heartlessness in abandoning
her child, that he drew to himself the sympathy which should have been
given to her. Mary feared the effect his pleadings and representations
would have upon Edward, the extent of whose egotism she had not yet
measured, and she commissioned Everina to keep him firm. As for Eliza,
she was so shaken and weak, and so unhappy about the poor motherless
infant, that she could neither think nor act. The duty of providing for
their wants, immediate and still to come, fell entirely upon Mary. She
felt this to be just, since it was chiefly through her influence that
they had been brought to their present plight; but the responsibility was
great, and it is no wonder that, brave as she was, she longed for some
one to share it with her.

Her one source of consolation and strength at this time was her religion.
This will seem strange to many, who, knowing but few facts of her life,
conclude from her connection with Godwin and her social radicalism that
she was an atheist. But the sincerest spirit of piety breathes through
her letters written during her early troubles. When the desertion of her
so-called friends made her most bitter, she wrote to Everina:--

"Don't suppose I am preaching when I say uniformity of conduct
cannot in any degree be expected from those whose first motive of
action is not the pleasing the Supreme Being, and those who humbly
rely on Providence will not only be supported in affliction but
have peace imparted to them that is past describing. This state is
indeed a warfare, and we learn little that we don't smart for in
the attaining. The cant of weak enthusiasts has made the
consolations of religion and the assistance of the Holy Spirit
appear ridiculous to the inconsiderate; but it is the only solid
foundation of comfort that the weak efforts of reason will be
assisted and our hearts and minds corrected and improved till the
time arrives when we shall not only see _perfection_, but see every
creature around us happy."

The consolation she found was sufficient to make her a