an had been attracted to her when she was
twenty, there seemed no reason why other ordinary men should not
continue to be attracted. As he had been in love with marrying rather
than with her, so she had been in love with being loved rather than with
him. She would have accepted almost any pleasant young man, provided he
had had the supreme merit of caring for her. But the inscrutable fate
which rules these matters, decreed that it was not to be. No other
suitor presented himself.

For one thing, she went to fewer parties now. After Louie's marriage,
Mrs. Symons, who had worked hard in the good cause of finding husbands,
began to flag. Henrietta was not so gratifying to take out as Louie had
been, particularly as her complexion went off early, and without her
complexion she had nothing to fall back on. So Mrs. Symons gave herself
up to the luxury of bad health, and said she could not stand late hours.
When Henrietta did go out, her experience made her feel that she was
unlikely to please; and though no one can define what produces
attractiveness, it is safe to say that one of the most necessary
elements is to believe oneself attractive.

Mr. Symons had not hitherto taken great interest in his daughters, but
when Minna and Louie were married, he became fonder of them. He was one
of those men whose good opinion of a woman is much strengthened if
confirmed by another man. His daughters' husbands had confirmed his
opinion in the most satisfactory way by marrying them, whereas his good
opinion of Henrietta, far from being confirmed, had been rather
weakened. Minna and Louie's virtues, husbands, and houses were often
extolled now, and there was nothing to extol in her. Henrietta felt this
continually. Her parents did not speak to her of her misfortunes; she
was left alone, which is perhaps what most girls would have liked best.
Not so Henrietta.

The three years after Louie's marriage were the most miserable of
Henrietta's life. If she did not go out to parties, what was she to do?
The housekeeping? The housekeeping, as in many cases, was not nearly
enough to provide her mother with occupation. It certainly could not be
divided into occupation for two. Nursing her mother? Her mother much
preferred that Ellen, on whom she had become very dependent, should do
what was necessary, and for companionship she had all she wanted in her
husband. He was away for several hours in the day however, and during
his absence Henrietta did d