The husband, like most husbands, was an overbearing tyrant, and the wife, having a spirit of her own, resisted his authority.

Trouble was the consequence, and Mrs.Talbot thought, though she was not certain, that a separation took place before Mr.Lloyd's death.

She had a moderate income, which came from her husband's estate, on which she lived in a kind of idle independence.

So she had plenty of time to read, visit and enjoy herself in the ways her fancy or inclination might prompt..