The husband and the father
were both reserved and shy men, and desired no other companionship.
One can see so easily how it all came about, and what the
inevitable result was bound to be, and yet it would have been
difficult at any point to say what could have been done. Of course
these great absorbed emotions involve large risks; and it may be
doubted whether life can be safely lived on these intensive lines.
These are of course extreme instances, but there are many cases in
the world, and especially in the case of women whose life is
entirely built up on certain emotions like the love and care of
children; and when that is so, a nature becomes liable to the
sharpest incursions of fear. It is of little use arguing such cases
theoretically, because, as the proverb says, as the land lies the
water flows,--and love makes very light of all prudential
considerations.
The difficulty does not arise with large and generous natures which
give love prodigally in many directions, because if one such
relation is broken by death, love can still exercise itself upon
those that remain.
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