Hendrickson's withdrawal of himself from society--his hermit-like life--his sober face and musing aspect--seemed only so many evidences of his undying love for Mrs.Dexter.That an impassable barrier existed between them--that, as things were, even a friendly intercourse would be next to crime--Hendrickson felt; and Dexter's clearer perceptions awarded him a just conclusion in this particular.
So far as Mrs.Dexter was concerned, the heavy curtain that fell so suddenly between her and the world was not drawn aside--not uplifted--even for a moment.

Her deep seclusion of herself was nun-like.

Gradually new objects of interest--new causes of excitement--pressed the thought of her aside, and her name grew a less and less familiar sound in fashionable and family circles.

Some thought of her as a wronged woman--some as a guilty woman--yet all with a degree of sympathy.
A year Mr.Dexter waited for some sign from his wife.

But if the grave had closed over her, the isolation from him could not have been more perfect.