a on her part was grateful to him, for when
she took the first brave bite into the very puffy, very white slice of
bread she had taken, she perceived that it was much worse than that which
had been baked for their homecoming, and not only justified all her
stepmother's execrations, but in addition it was sour. For an instant,
perceiving down the horoscope of time whole calendars full of such suppers
with the aunts, and this bread, her soul shuddered and shrank. Could she
ever learn to like it? Impossible! Could she ever tolerate it? Could she?
She doubted. Then she swallowed bravely and perceived that the impossible
had been accomplished once. It could be again, but she must go slowly else
she might have to eat two slices instead of one. David was kind. He had
roused himself to help his helper. Perhaps something in her girlish beauty
and helplessness, helpless here for his sake, appealed to him. At least
his eyes sought hers often with a tender interest to see if she were
comfortable, and once, when Aunt Amelia asked if they stopped nowhere for
rest on their journey, his eyes sought Marcia's with a twinkling reminder
of their roadside nap, and he answered, "Once, Aunt Amelia. No, it was not
a regular inn. It was quieter than that. Not many people stopping there."

Marcia's merry laugh almost bubbled forth, but she suppressed it just in
time, horrified to think what Aunt Hortense would say, but somehow after
David had said that her heart felt a trifle lighter and she took a big
bite from the salt-rising and smiled as she swallowed it. There were worse
things in the world, after all, than salt-rising, and, when one could
smother it in Aunt Amelia's peach preserves, it was quite bearable.

Aunt Clarinda slipped her off to her own room after supper, and left the
other two sisters with their beloved idol, David. In their stately parlor
lighted with many candles in honor of the occasion, they sat and talked in
low tones with him, their voices suggesting condolence with his misfortune
of having married out of the family, and disapproval with the married
state in general. Poor souls! How their hard, loving hearts would have
been wrung could they but have known the true state of the case! And,
strange anomaly, how much deeper would have been their antagonism toward
poor, self-sacrificing, loving Marcia! Just because she had dared to think
herself fit for David, belonging as she did to her renegade sister Kate.
But they did not kn