Chapter 2 Summary

On the last day of May in 1887, the narrator attends a "Decoration Day" memorial service with his fiancye, Edith, and her family. Upon the return of the family, the protagonist reads of another new labor strike and engages those around him in a discussion about the difficulties of such issues. He tries to convince Edith to marry him now without waiting for the completion of the house, offering to travel until their house is ready. He kisses her goodnight and remarks that neither of them had any idea that this was anything more than a routine and very brief separation.

The narrator (as yet unnamed) returns to his long-time family home, a large wooden mansion this is in an area no longer stylish or desirable. He is the only one left in his family and lives in the home with one servant, a...