The Birth House

Reverend Norton leaves the town, replaced by Reverend Pineo, and Dora makes her peace with never revealing what she knows about Aunt Fran’s affair. At Reverend Pineo’s first service, Archer Bigelow causes a stir by sitting next to Dora.

Precious hands out invitations to her first card party, and Archer agrees to attend. His brother Hart points out that he “should be up to your knee in mud at Ypres instead of playing hearts with little girls” (116). As the brothers argue, Dora notes how they could not be more different from one another. Before they can fight, Grace Hutner interrupts and flirtatiously insists Archer attend the party.

At the party, which Dora is dreading, she is placed at a card table with Grace and Archer. Her partner is Oscar Foley, who is “round and slow,” in contract to Archer (117). After four rounds, Archer suggests they switch partners, to Dora’s delight and Grace’s dismay.

When they switch tables, Archer steers Dora to be his partner again. The insulted Grace approaches Archer and presents him with “a large white ostrich plume” in honor of his “being a traitor, a menace, and a coward” for not joining the army (118).