6
               Stedman�s conjugal infamy.
condemning everything and giving herself pro-
digious airs.           Stedman appeared, transitorilly,
and his wife was living there.     They �didn�t agree�
as everybody knew.   The popular impression was 
that he had contracted a foolish, hasty marriage;
�been caught by her pretty face� as Mrs L. ex-
pressed it, and then discovered no intellect, or
congeniality of soul.   So the little beast (of course
I mean Stedman) noises it abroad.          He is th
�very conceited� and gives himself great airs as
an �editor of the World� - being but Washington
correspondent.      And, I�m a bit sorry to suppose
that the evil example of the noisome little egotist
has been followed by the bullied and neglected wife.
Her reputation has suffered; she is said to be
unchaste.      A Mr Wallis or Wallacex, a young
lawyer, appears over-intimate with her, �and last
year� quoth Mrs L. �it was George Arnold.    She
had a very quiet way with her,� but Mrs L.
evidently thought her �sly.�   �The strangest thing
was that Mr Stedman knew, and was very
friendly with Mr Wallis, &c &c.�  I believe the
little beast would connive at any infamy if it
subserved his own damnable selfishness.    If
appearances mean anything, his wife was as good
as she was loveable when I first knew the couple.
She believed in the little sweep, obeyed him, was
bullied and browbeaten by him.    If his usage
   x Query Ellis, Stedman�s partner in certain stockjobbings and