The grounds around the mansion had been subject to as thorough a renovation as the mansion itself.  The old gate had given place to one of larger proportions, and more imposing design.  A new carriage-road swept away in a grander curve from the gate to the dwelling.  Substantial stone-stabling had been torn down in order to erect a fanciful carriage-house, built in imitation of a Swiss cottage; which, from its singular want of harmony with the principal buildings, stood forth a perpetual commentary upon the false taste of the upstart owner.

I hardly think that either Mr. Dewey or his wife would have been much flattered by the general tone of remark that ran through the curious crowds that lingered in the elegant rooms, or inspected the improvements outside.  Nobody liked him; and as for his wife, fashionable associations had so spoiled her, that not a single old friend retained either affection or respect.  It was sad to think that three years of a false life could so entirely obliterate the good qualities that once blossomed in her soul with such a sweet promise of golden fruitage.

Early in June, the family of Mr. Dewey took possession of their new home, and the occasion was celebrated by a splendid entertainment, the cost of which, common rumor said, was over two thousand dollars.  We—­Constance and I—­were among the invited guests.  It was a festive scene, brilliant and extravagant beyond anything we had ever witnessed, and quite bewildering to minds like ours.  Mrs. Dewey was dressed like a queen, and radiant in pearls and diamonds.  I questioned her good taste in this, as hostess; and think she knew better—­but the temptation to astonish the good people of S——­was too strong to be resisted.

After the curtain fell on this brilliant spectacle, Mrs. Dewey assumed a stately air, showing, on all occasions, a conscious superiority that was offensive to our really best people.  There are in all communities a class who toady to the rich; and we had a few of these in S——.  They flattered the Deweys, and basked in the sunshine of their inflated grandeur.

I was not one towards whom Mrs. Dewey put on superior airs.  My profession brought me into a kind of relation to her that set aside all pretence.  Very soon after her removal to S——­, my services were required in the family, one of her two children having been attacked with measles.  On the occasion of my first call, I referred, naturally, to the fact of her removal from New York, and asked how she liked the change.

“I don’t like it all, Doctor,” she replied, in a dissatisfied tone.

“Could heart desire more of elegance and comfort than you possess?” I glanced around the richly decorated apartment in which we were seated.

“Gilded misery, Doctor!” She emphasized her words.

I looked at her without speaking.  She understood my expression of surprise.

“I need not tell you, Doctor, that a fine house and fine furniture are not everything in this world.”