much, and they were equal before his ambition. In fact, this seemed to
her even more her charge than his, and if he did not succeed as with his
genius he had a right to succeed, it would be constructively her fault,
and at any rate she should hold herself to blame for it; there would be
some satisfaction in that. She thought with tender pathos how hard he
worked, and was at his writing all day long, except when she made him go
out with her, and was then often so fagged that he could scarcely speak.
She was proud of his almost killing himself at it, but she must study
more and more not to let him kill himself, and must do everything that
was humanly possible to keep up his spirits when he met with a reverse.

She accused herself with shame of having done nothing for him in the
present emergency, but rather flung upon him the burden of her own
disappointment. She thought how valiantly he had risen up under it, and
had not lost one moment in vain repining; how instantly he had collected
himself for a new effort, and taken his measures with a wise prevision
that omitted no detail. In view of all this, she peremptorily forbade
herself to be uneasy at the little reticence he was practising with
regard to Godolphin's having rejected his play; and imagined the
splendor he could put on with the manager after he had accepted it, in
telling him its history, and releasing him, if he would, from his
agreement. She imagined the manager generously saying this made no
difference whatever, though he appreciated Mr. Maxwell's candor in the
matter, and should be all the happier to make a success of it because
Godolphin had failed with it.

But she returned from this flight into the future, and her husband's
part in it, to the present and her own first duty in regard to him; and
it appeared to her, that this was to look carefully after his health in
the strain put upon it, and to nourish him for the struggle before him.
It was to be not with one manager only, but many managers, probably, and
possibly with all the managers in New York. That was what he had said
it would be before he gave up, and she remembered how flushed and
excited he looked when he said it, and though she did not believe he
would get back for lunch--the manager might ask him to read his play to
him, so that he could get just the author's notion--she tried to think
out the very most nourishing lunch she could for him. Oysters were in
season, and they were very nourishing,