ty. She commenced to consult physicians and in the
course of the next three years underwent three operations with no
result. She began to brood over this, especially since about this time
her husband began to show a decided lack of interest in the home. He
would come home at twelve and later, and she found that he was playing
cards,--in fact had become a confirmed gambler. When she first
discovered this, she became greatly worried; made a trip to New York
where his people lived and induced them to bring pressure to bear on him
for reform. This they did, with the result that for about six months he
remained away from cards and gave more attention to his wife.

The reform lasted only for a short period and then the husband plunged
deeper into gaming than ever, and there were periods of three and four
days at a stretch when he would not return home at all. At such times
the lonely wife, who still loved her husband, fell into a perturbed and
agitated frame of mind, the worse because she confided her difficulties
to no one. When he would return, shamefaced and repentant, she would
reproach him bitterly and this would bring about renewed attention,
gifts, etc., for a week or so,--and then backsliding. Finally even the
brief spasmodic reforms grew less common, her reproaches were answered
hotly or listened to with indifference, and she became "practically a
widow" except for the occasions when the sexual feeling mastered them
both.

The neurosis in this case approached almost an insanity. The dwelling
alone, the desperate obsessive desire for a child to bring back his love
and attentions and to satisfy her own maternal instinct, the pain the
sight of happy couples with children gave her and which made her shun
other women and their company, the fear that her husband was unfaithful
(which fear was probably justified), and the lack of any fixed or
definite purpose, the lack of a great pride or self-sufficiency, brought
on symptoms that necessitated her removal to a sanitarium.

This of course pricked the conscience of her husband. He visited her
frequently, vowed a complete change, promised to bring his business to
the point where he would be able to come home at six, etc., etc.
Gradually she improved and finally made a partial recovery.

Whether or not the husband kept his promises I cannot say. On the
chances he did. Most confirmed gamblers, however, remain gamblers. The
lure of excitement is more potent to such men than a