Mrs. Dabney

In the story, Mrs. Dabney is a woman in her mid-sixties. She has been married twice before. Her first marriage was to a much older man, who died. She then married a younger man, with whom she moved from New York City to Charleston. The man was an unkind husband. When he eventually died, Mrs. Dabney moved back to New York City. Mrs. Dabney is childless, and she is in denial about her advanced age and the inevitability of her death.

When Mrs. Dabney proposes marriage to Mr. Ellenwood, many people surmise that she does so to make herself feel young again. During the wedding ceremony, her bridal party consists entirely of young people. Mrs. Dabney wears a resplendent wedding dress that does not seem to match her aged form. When Mr. Ellenwood arrives at the wedding and says that the occasion should be like a funeral...