Sentence:  ...'the Lady Pusillanimous' is a mild echo of his invective against his first wife Pamela Lane whom he was just splitting up from: 'That bitch, that pusillanimous, sycophantic, snivelling, <WSD>phlegmish</WSD> yokel, that cow — fortunately I've ceased to care what happens to her' — which didn't stop him sleeping with her now and then after he had remarried, nor from supporting her financially 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Characterized by the humor phlegm; apathetic or composed.