There are some women in whom the act of conception is attended with certain sympathetic affections, such as faintness, vertigo, etc., by which they know that it has taken place. Swelling of the neck was regarded in ancient times as a sign of conception. Its truthfulness has been reaffirmed by modern authorities. It has also been asserted that impregnation generally excites a universal tremor in all parts of the body, and that it is associated with more than an ordinary degree of pleasure. It must not be supposed, however, that enjoyment and impregnation bear necessarily to each other the relation of cause and effect, although this is the popular opinion. From too implicit a reliance upon this current belief, wives are often incredulous as to their true condition. It is a fact that in some cases sickness at the stomach manifests itself almost simultaneously with the act of fecundation. Authentic instances are on record of wives reckoning their confinement nine months from the first feeling of nausea, without ever making a mistake. In conclusion, it may be said that peculiar sensations are often experienced, frequently of a character difficult to explain; and many modern authors attach to them a marked value. In this manner it is possible for a woman to be satisfied at the moment as to the change which has taken place; yet the evidence is often deceptive, and sometimes nothing peculiar is noticed. From the period of conception the mother has no direct knowledge of the process that is going on within, excepting by the effects of the increasing pressure upon other parts, until 'quickening' takes place, which belongs to another part of our subject. The signs and symptoms of pregnancy will be explained in full when we come to treat of the pregnant condition in a future chapter. HOW TO RETAIN THE AFFECTIONS OF A HUSBAND. Ah! this is a secret indeed!--worth the wand of the magician, the lamp of Aladdin, or the wishing-cap of the fairy. What could any of these give in exchange for the love of a husband? Yet this pearl of great price, how often is it treated as lightly and carelessly as if it was any bauble of Brummagem! 'My husband,' we have heard young wives say, 'why, it is his duty to love me. Why did he marry me if he is not going to love me, love me fondly, love me ever?' Yes, we all know Love the gift, is love the debt. But in this world of ours it is often hard to get one's own; and when got, our care must never cease, lest it be wrested from us. The plant you bought at the greenhouse, and that now blossoms on your window-sill, became yours by purchase, but it has required your daily care to keep it alive and persuade it to unfold its blossoms. Infinitely more delicate is this plant of love. It, too, you purchased. You gave in exchange for it your own heart. It too, you must daily tend with constant solicitude, lest it wither and die.