She was worn out now, a tired, drab little woman, with no strength left to stand against adversity.

The only consolation in her life was her love for her husband.

Him she worshipped, not wholly blindly, but with a devotion that never faltered.

A kind word from him was capable of exalting her to a state of rapture that was only out-matched by the despair engendered by his displeasure.

There was so much of sorrow mingled with her love for her children that they could scarcely have been regarded as a joy.