with her husband and he gets smitten with
another woman, isn't he likely to lose interest in his wife's studies
for that reason, and is not his wife's interest in her studies likely to
languish for the same reason? Would not the mere sight of those books of
hers sharpen the pain that is in her heart? This sudden breaking down of
a mutual intellectual interest of two years' standing is coincident with
Shelley's re-encounter with Cornelia; and we are allowed to gather from
that time forth for nearly two months he did all his studying in that
person's society. We feel at liberty to rule out Count No. 2 from the
indictment against Harriet.

Shelley's happiness in his home had been wounded and bruised almost to
death, thirdly, because Harriet's walks with Hogg commonly led to some
fashionable bonnet-shop. I offer no palliation; I only ask why the
dispassionate, impartial judge did not offer one himself--merely, I
mean, to offset his leniency in a similar case or two where the girl
who ran away with Harriet's husband was the shopper. There are several
occasions where she interested herself with shopping--among them being
walks which ended at the bonnet-shop--yet in none of these cases does
she get a word of blame from the good judge, while in one of them he
covers the deed with a justifying remark, she doing the shopping that
time to find easement for her mind, her child having died.

Shelley's happiness in his home had been wounded and bruised almost to
death, fourthly, by the introduction there of a wet-nurse. The wet-nurse
was introduced at the time of the Edinburgh sojourn, immediately after
Shelley had been enjoying the two months of study with Cornelia which
broke up his wife's studies and destroyed his personal interest in them.
Why, by this time, nothing that Shelley's wife could do would have been
satisfactory to him, for he was in love with another woman, and was
never going to be contented again until he got back to her. If he had
been still in love with his wife it is not easily conceivable that he
would care much who nursed the baby, provided the baby was well
nursed. Harriet's jealousy was assuredly voicing itself now, Shelley's
conscience was assuredly nagging him, pestering him, persecuting him.
Shelley needed excuses for his altered attitude towards his wife;
Providence pitied him and sent the wet-nurse. If Providence had sent him
a cotton doughnut it would have answered just as well; all he wanted was
somet