Froude, as he says himself, was haunted by Mrs.
Carlyle's look of suffering, physical rather than mental, and it would necessarily colour his judgment of the facts.

At all events his conclusion was that Carlyle had just ground for remorse, and that in collecting the letters he had partially expiated his offence.

When Mrs.Carlyle's Correspondence came to be published it was seen that there were two sides to the question, and that, if he had leisure to think of what he was doing, Carlyle could be the most considerate of husbands.

Irritable and selfish he might be.
Deliberately cruel he never was.

Froude, with his accustomed frankness, told Carlyle at once what he thought.