At the opening of this story Diane Eveleth returns from a party in Paris to her mother-in-law, who tells her that her husband George Eveleth has been killed in a duel, fought with the Marquis de Bienville. Diane secretly transfers her remaining patrimony to her mother-in-law and the two women sail for New York, where the elder woman has relatives.Here Diane is offered the situation of chaperone for the daughter Dorothea of Derek Pruyn, a widower whom she has met before. Eventually, Pruyn m...