t his chief duty and privilege
to save her from all worry and interruption in her valuable work.

John, who knows in his heart of hearts that he could have walked round
Josephine, in the old days, now speaks with manly pride of his sister,
the Professor. His own bent, however, has always been so painfully
strong that he even yet tries to snatch spare moments for his
researches; but the strain in so many directions has broken down his
health. People always told him that a man's constitution was not fitted
for severe brain-work. He supposes it is true.

During those odd moments, he made a discovery that seemed to him of
value, and he told Sophia about it, in a mood of scientific enthusiasm.
But she burst out laughing, and said he would really be setting the
Thames on fire if he didn't take care.

"Perhaps you will excuse my remarking, my dear, that I think you might
be more usefully, not to say becomingly employed, in attending to your
children and your household duties, than in dealing with explosive
substances in the back dining-room."

And Sophia tossed off her glass of port in such an unanswerable manner,
that John felt as if a defensive reply would be almost of the nature of
a sacrilege. So he remained silent, feeling vaguely guilty. And as
Johnny took measles just then, and it ran through the house, there was
no chance of completing his work, or of making it of public value.

Curiously enough, a little later, Josephine made the very same
discovery--only rather less perfect--and every one said, with
acclamation, that science had been revolutionised by a discovery before
which that of gravitation paled.

John still hoped, after twenty years of experience, that presently, by
some different arrangement, some better management on his part, he would
achieve leisure and mental repose to do the work that his heart was in;
but that time never came.

No doubt John was not infallible, and made mistakes in dealing with his
various problems: do the best of us achieve consummate wisdom? No doubt,
if he had followed the advice that we could all have supplied him with,
in such large quantities, he might have done rather more than he did.
But the question is: Did his marriage interfere with his
self-development and career, and would many other Johns, in his
circumstances, have succeeded much better?

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Daughters of Danaus, by Mona Caird

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