Little by little it had come to Katy that she was not quite as comfortable in her husband’s family as she would be in a house of her own.  The constant watch kept over her by Mrs. Cameron and Juno irritated and fretted her, making her wonder what was the matter, and why she should so often feel lonely and desolate when surrounded by every luxury which wealth could purchase.  “It is his folks,” she always said to herself when cogitating upon the subject.  “Alone with Wilford I shall feel as light and happy as I used to do in Silverton.”

And so Katy caught eagerly at the prospect of a release from the restraint of No. ——­, seeming so anxious that Wilford, almost before he was aware of it himself, became the owner of one of the most desirable situations on Madison Square; and Katy was the envy of the belles, who had copied and imitated her, even to the cutting off their hair, which fashion may be fairly said to have originated from Katy herself, whose short curls had ceased to be obnoxious to the fastidious Mrs. Cameron, for Juno had tried the effect, looking, as Bell said, “like a fool,” while Juno would have given much to have again the long black tresses, the cutting of which did not make her look like Katy.  Of all the household, after Katy, Juno was perhaps the only one glad of the new house.  It would be a change for herself, for she meant to spend much of her time on Madison Square, where everything was to be on the most magnificent scale.  Fortunately for Katy, she knew nothing of Juno’s intentions and built many a castle of her new home, where mother could come with Helen and Dr. Grant.  Somehow she never saw Uncle Ephraim, nor his wife, nor yet Aunt Betsy there.  She knew how out of place they would appear, and how they would annoy Wilford:  but surely to her mother and Helen there could be no objection, and when she first went over the house, she designated mentally this room as mother’s, and another one as Helen’s, thinking how each should be fitted up with direct reference to their tastes, Helen’s containing a great many books, while her mother’s should have easy-chairs and lounges, with a host of drawers for holding things.  And Wilford heard it all, making no reply, but considering how he could manage best so as to have no scene, for he had not the slightest intention of inviting either Mrs. Lennox or Helen to visit him, much less to become a part of his household.  That he did not marry Katy’s relatives was a fact as fixed as the laws of the Medes and Persians, and Katy’s anticipations were answering no other purpose than to divert her mind for the time being, keeping her bright and cheerful.