and her own tears falling fast to the memory of Genevra, whose
grave she had sat upon with Wilford standing near.

A buried wife was not so dreadful to contemplate as a wife divorced but
living still, and Katy's heart did not beat with quite so heavy throbs
of fear and shame as it had at first. But it was very sore with the
feeling that to her almost as great a wrong had been done as to Genevra,
for had he not deceived her from the very first, he and his mother, who
had been the terror of Genevra's life as she was the bane of Katy's.

"Do you forgive me, Katy? Do you love me as well as ever?" Wilford
asked, stooping down to kiss her, but Katy drew her face away and did
not answer then.

She did not know herself just how she felt toward him. He did not seem
just like the husband she had trusted in so blindly. It would take a
long time to forget that another head than hers had lain upon his bosom,
and it would take longer yet to blot out the memory of the complaining
words uttered to his mother. She had never thought he could do that,
never dreamed of such a thing, knowing that she would sooner have parted
with her right hand than have complained of him. Her idol had fallen in
more respects than one, and the heart it had bruised in the fall refused
at once to gather the shattered pieces up and call them good as new. She
was not obstinate, she was not sulky, as Wilford began to fancy. She
was only stunned and could not rally at his bidding. He had confessed
the whole, keeping nothing back, and he felt that Katy was unjust not to
acknowledge his magnanimity and restore him to her favor. Again he asked
forgiveness, again bent down to kiss her, but Katy answered: "Not yet,
Wilford, not till I feel all right toward you. A wife's kiss should be
sincere."

"As you like," trembled on Wilford's lips, but he beat back the words
and walked up and down the room, knowing now that his journey must be
deferred till morning, and wondering if Katy would hold out till then.

It was long past midnight, but to retire was impossible, and so for one
whole hour he paced through the room, while Katy lay with her eyes
closed and her lips moving occasionally in the words of prayer she tried
to say, asking God to help her, and praying that she might in future lay
her treasures up where they could not so suddenly be swept away. Wearily
the hours passed, and the gray dawn was stealing into the room when
Wilford again approached his wife and said,