t for her indiscretion, might have been living still. Her
seclusion from gay society troubled him. He did not like staying at
home, and their evenings, when they were alone, passed in gloomy
silence. At last Mrs. Cameron, annoyed at what annoyed her son, brought
her influence to bear upon her daughter-in-law, trying to rouse her to
something like her olden interest in the world; but all to no effect,
and matters grew constantly worse, as Wilford thought Katy unreasonable
and selfish, while Katy tried hard not to think him harsh in his
judgment of her, and exacting in his requirements. "Perhaps she was
the one most in fault; it could not be pleasant for him to see her so
entirely changed from what she used to be," she thought, one morning
late in November, when her husband had just left her with an angry frown
upon his face and reproachful words upon his lips.

Father Cameron and his daughters were out of town, and Mrs. Cameron,
feeling lonely in their absence, had asked Wilford and Katy to dine with
her. But Katy did not wish to go, and so Wilford had left her in anger,
saying "she could suit herself, but he should go at all events."

Left alone, Katy began to feel that she had done wrong in declining the
invitation. Surely she could go there, and the echo of the bang with
which Wilford had closed the street door was still vibrating in her ear,
when her resolution began to give way, and while Wilford was riding
moodily downtown, thinking harsh things against her, she was meditating
what she thought might be an agreeable surprise. She would go around and
meet him at dinner, trying to appear as much like her old self as she
could, and so atone for anything which had hitherto been wrong in her
demeanor.

It was strange how much better Katy felt when this decision was reached,
and Esther, below stairs, raised her finger warningly for the cook to
listen as her mistress trilled a few notes of a song. It was the first
time since her return from Silverton that a sound like that had been
heard within the house, and it seemed the precursor of better days. At
lunch, too, Katy's face was very bright, and Esther was surprised when,
later in the day, she was sent for to arrange her mistress' hair, as she
had not arranged it since baby died. Greatly annoyed, Wilford had been
by the smooth bands combed so plainly back, and at the blackness of the
dress; but now there was a change, and graceful curls fell about the
face, giving it the