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Toadispassionatecritic(asGlennardnowratedhimself)theartmayattimeshavebeenalittletooobvious.Herattemptsatlightnesslackedspontaneity,andshesometimesraspedhimbylaughinglikeJuliaArmiger;buthehadenoughimaginationtoperceivethat,inrespectofthewife’ssocialarts,ahusbandnecessarilyseesthewrongsideofthetapestry.
InthisironicalestimateoftheirrelationGlennardfoundhimselfstrangelyrelievedofallconcernastohiswife’sfeelingsforFlamel.FromanOlympianpinnacleofindifferencehecalmlysurveyedtheirinoffensiveantics.Itwassurprisinghowhischeapeningofhiswifeputhimateasewithhimself.Farasheandshewerefromeachothertheyyethad,inasense,thetacitnearnessofcomplicity.Yes,theywereaccomplices;hecouldnomorebejealousofherthanshecoulddespisehim.Thejealousythatwouldoncehaveseemedabluronherwhitenessnowappearedlikeatributetoidealsinwhichhenolongerbelieved....
Glennardwaslittlegiventoexploringtheoutskirtsofliterature.Healwaysskippedthe“literarynotices”inthepapersandhehadsmallleisurefortheintermittentpleasuresoftheperiodical.Hehadthereforenonotionoftheprolongedreverberationswhichthe“AubynLetters”hadawakenedintheprecinctsofcriticism.Whenthebookceasedtobetalkedabouthesupposedithadceasedtoberead;andthisapparentsubsidenceoftheagitationaboutitbroughtthereassuringsensethathehadexaggerateditsvitality.
