There was nothing else that was young near her except her husband,
and he thought her an ugly little thing, and avoided her as much as
possible. He had expected to be freed from his tutor on his
marriage, and when he was disappointed, he was extremely displeased,
and manifested his wrath by neglect of her. His governor must have
been a very different one from my dear husband's beloved abbe, fro I
know that if I had been five times as ugly and stupid as I was, my
Philippe would have tried to love me, because it was his duty--and
have been kind to me, because he could not be unkind to any one. But
the Chevalier d'Aubepine had never learnt to care for any one's
pleasure but his own; he was angry at, and ashamed of, the wife who
had been imposed on him; he chafed and raged at not being permitted
to join the army and see the world; and in the meantime he, with the
connivance of his governor, from time to time escaped at night to
Saumur, and joined in the orgies of the young officers in garrison
there.

Nevertheless, through all his neglect, Cecile loved him with a
passionate, faithful adoration, surpassing all words, just as I have
seen a poor dog follow faithfully a savage master who gives him
nothing but blows. She never said a word of complaint to me of him.
All I gathered of this was from her simple self-betrayals, or from
others, or indeed what I knew of himself; but the whole sustenance of
that young heart had been his few civil words at times when he could
make her useful to him. I am persuaded, too, that Mademoiselle de
Gringrimeau exercised her spite in keeping the two young creatures
from any childish or innocent enjoyments that might have drawn them
together. If etiquette were the idol of that lady, I am sure that
spite flavoured the incense she burned to it.