He determined, with the help of his wife, to justify the
choice of his supporters, and to prove that his enemies were false
prophets. Having no stock of lectures on hand, each lecture of
the first course was written out day by day, as it was to be
delivered on the following morning. His wife sat up with him
night after night, to write out a fair copy of the lectures from
the rough sheets, which he drafted in the adjoining room. "On
some occasions," says his biographer, "the subject of the lectures
would prove less easily managed than on others; and then Sir
William would be found writing as late as nine o'clock in the
morning, while his faithful but wearied amanuensis had fallen
asleep on a sofa." (20)
Sometimes the finishing touches to the lecture were left to be
given just before the class-hour. Thus helped, Sir William
completed his course; his reputation as a lecturer was
established; and he eventually became recognised throughout Europe
as one of the leading intellects of his time. (21)
The woman who soothes anxiety by her presence, who charms and
allays irritability by her sweetness of temper, is a consoler as
well as a true helper. Niebuhr always spoke of his wife as a
fellow-worker with him in this sense. Without the peace and
consolation which be found in her society, his nature would have
fretted in comparative uselessness. "Her sweetness of temper and
her love," said he, "raise me above the earth, and in a manner
separate me from this life.
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