Part 2 Summary

Carrie and Cressida first met in grammar school in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Cressida's family was originally from North Carolina, and her father was devoted to the Democratic Party. Carrie recalls there being something in the demeanor of all the Garnet children - with the exception of Cressida - that made them seem as though they felt they were owed something. Cressida, on the other hand, was an engaging, happy child.

The death of Cressida's first husband was, in Carrie's opinion, the first event in a long line of occurrences that could only be described as bad luck. Carrie is sure that any other woman could not have endured what Cressida has gone through with her family, her son and her husbands. Her sisters marvel at her being able to go through her life "untouched by the breath of scandal," even when...