Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/41

 DEFENSE OF HARRIET SHELLEY

3d. Harriet s walks with Hogg &quot;commonly con ducted us to some fashionable bonnet-shop.&quot;

4th. Harriet hired a wet-nurse.

5th. When an operation was being performed upon the baby, &quot;Harriet stood by, narrowly ob serving all that was done, but, to the astonishment of the operator, betraying not the smallest sign of emotion.&quot;

6th. Eliza Westbrook, sister-in-law, was still of the household.

The evidence against Harriet Shelley is all in; there is no more. Upon these six counts she stands indicted of the crime of driving her husband into that sty at Bracknell; and this crime, by these helps, the biographical prosecuting attorney has set himself the task of proving upon her.

Does the biographer call himself the attorney for the prosecution? No, only to himself, privately; publicly he is the passionless, disinterested, impartial judge on the bench. He holds up his judicial scales before the world, that all may see; and it all tries to look so fair that a blind person would sometimes fail to see him slip the false weights in.

Shelley s happiness in his home had been wounded and bruised almost to death, first, because Harriet had persuaded him to set up a carriage. I cannot discover that any evidence is offered that she asked him to set up a carriage. Still, if she did, was it a heavy offense ? Was it unique ? Other young wives had committed it before, others have committed it since. Shelley had dearly loved her in those Lon don days; p ossibly he set up the carriage gladly to

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