sisters and brothers often vex her, and what more natural than that
she should pour her tale of woe into the young husband's ears? He is
delightfully indignant and full of pity for her and resentment towards
those who have caused her discomfort. At all events he understands
her!

By the time the story is told and she is duly consoled she has
forgotten her injuries. She loves her family, and while they are
sometimes very trying, who could expect her to bear a grudge against
the dear ones? The little burst of anger over, she feels towards them
as she has always felt and banishes from her mind all thought of the
little occurrence.

Not so, John! His wife (and the possessive pronoun casts about her an
atmosphere of importance) has been made uncomfortable, and he is up in
arms. His and no one's else is the right to criticise Mary. What
business have these people to interfere? He immediately becomes his
wife's most ardent champion, and while he muses the fire burns, until
he is ready to take the poor little woman away from all her
inconsiderate relatives. What is his chagrin on discovering that the
woman who, but a few hours ago sobbed out to him her wrongs, has
seemingly overlooked all injuries, and is just as fond of sister and
brother, and quite as dependent upon "Papa and Mamma" as she ever was.
In vain he protests and calls to her mind their injustice. Yes, she
remembers it, now that he speaks of it, but the dear people meant
nothing unkind, they love her dearly at heart. For her part she could
not take to heart a little thing like that. And John remarks that if
she is mean-spirited enough to pass by such an occurrence, he has
nothing to say. It is her family, thank goodness, not his! After this,
he is more quick than ever before to detect a fancied slight and to
resent it. Mary laments secretly that "John does not love her family."
It is a genuine grief to her, and she does not appreciate the fact
that she herself began the work that has now gone too far to check.

Were I to give a piece of advice to a bride, it would be--Never
complain to your husband of the actions of a single member of your
family, and never find fault with _his_ nearest of kin. Your liege
lord may disapprove of the members of his own family, or perhaps of
some of his mother's characteristics, and he may talk to you of them.
But he will hotly resent your mention of them, and will exercise all
his masculine ingenuity to prove that his relatives a