should bring her from the train to the house, and
finally ordered both; he repeated half a dozen times the hour at which
the Boston express was due, in order that Deena might make no mistake
about having tea served to the minute, and when he had shut the front
door, on his way to the Grand Central, he came tearing back to ask the
menu for dinner, as Polly was apt to be fanciful about her food. Deena
remembered the time--not two years ago--when it was quantity rather
than quality that balked Polly's appetite, and nearly laughed in his
face, but she loved her big brother-in-law for his forethought.

The curtains were drawn and the lights turned up before the bustle of
arrival drew Deena to the stairs. First old Mrs. Minthrop came,
stopping to commend the house at every step, and then Polly, with her
arm linked in her husband's, chattering volubly at the delight
everything gave her; and Deena, wedged between the elder lady and the
wall in cordial greeting, could not help hearing Ben welcome his wife
to her own home with a sentiment she never suspected in him before.
Polly flew to her sister and kissed and thanked her for all she had
done, and lavished her praises broadcast, and then she insisted upon
pouring out the tea at her own fireside, and Ben perched on the arm of
her chair; and once, when Deena turned suddenly from handing the toast
to Mrs. Minthrop, she saw him kiss Polly's hair.

Her thoughts sped back to her parting with Simeon, with its prosaic
formality---the feel of his puckered lips brushing her forehead. What
a lack of imagination marked all his dealings with her! She felt
rebellious and sad; not that she wanted any of the luxury that
surrounded Polly, but she was hungry for love. She saw suddenly what
marriage ought to be, and the realization frightened her. How was it
she had committed this crime against her own nature? Was it her sin or
her parents' that she had been so blind? Not Simeon's--she exonerated
him, she knew he had given her as much of himself as he had to spare,
and that his conduct was uniform; what it had been at the beginning
was now and for all time, and if she had suddenly become a connoisseur
in husbands she was not the first woman to whom knowledge brought
misery. It was not Simeon's fault that he remained stationary while
her views expanded. Fortunately for Deena's peace of mind, it was Ben
who figured in these reflections as the exponent of what a husband
should be, and she had no s