Chapter Twenty-Six Summary

In Boston, no one asks Katherine about the last four years of her life. At a homecoming party, all elements appear foreign to Katherine. The lights seem artificially bright and harsh to her after the soft glow of candles in the Northwest. The crowd, the noise, the scents, and the decorations overwhelm Katherine to the point where she goes out on the front porch. A youth named Dick follows her and when he pulls her close, bending his face down toward hers, she laughs and roughly pushes him away. Katherine enters the house, goes to her room, and feels proud of her strength. She compares her life in Alberta where she was pampered and treated delicately to who she is in Boston currently feeling healthy and strong. She realizes there are no men like Mike in Boston and she cries.

Katherine's...