"Oh," she would cry, "if only these abandoned wretches who desert
their offspring could realize what it is to desire them and yet live
unblest! If they but knew the priceless treasures they were casting
from them, they would turn and repent in sackcloth and ashes."
Mr. and Mrs. Quintin had been married about three years when one day
the former called on me, his face beaming with joy, and informed me
that his fondest hopes were about to be realized, and that he would
like me to call and consult with his wife. I was a little surprised
at this intimation, as, from what I knew of Mrs. Quintin, I had
fully made up my mind that she would never become a patient of nine;
however, I was glad to hear that I had been mistaken, and so, when
next in the neighborhood I waited on that lady and congratulated her
on her improved prospects. To my great surprise she burst into tears,
and confessed that she was not _enceinte_, or likely ever to become
so; that her career in M----'s store, and continued standing for
hours together, had rendered her physically unable ever to become a
mother. She added that her husband had so set his heart upon the one
object (viz., the desire to have children), and had spent so much
money for medicine and medical advice with a view to that end, that
she could not bear him to think that all his efforts were unavailing,
and her complaint having assumed a form to all outward appearances
similar to pregnancy, she had permitted him to delude himself with
the belief that the latter was the cause of her altered appearance,
and that scientific skill had counteracted the effects of years of
abuse.
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