Prissy gave one scared , appealing look at Emmeline and then said , `` No , thank you , not to-night . '' Stephen just turned on his heel and went . He was a high-spirited fellow and I knew he would never overlook a public slight like that . If he had had as much sense as he ought to have had he would have known that Emmeline was at the bottom of it ; but he did n't , and he began going to see Althea Gillis , and they were married the next year . Althea was a rather nice girl , though giddy , and I think she and Stephen were happy enough together . In real life things are often like that . Nobody ever tried to go with Prissy again . I suppose they were afraid of Emmeline . Prissy 's beauty soon faded . She was always kind of sweet looking , but her bloom went , and she got shyer and limper every year of her life . She would n't have dared put on her second best dress without asking Emmeline 's permission . She was real fond of cats and Emmeline would n't let her keep one . Emmeline even cut the serial out of the religious weekly she took before she would give it to Prissy , because she did n't believe in reading novels . It used to make me furious to see it all . They were my next door neighbours after I married Thomas , and I was often in and out . Sometimes I 'd feel real vexed at Prissy for giving in the way she did ; but , after all , she could n't help it -- she was born that way . And now Stephen was going to try his luck again . It certainly did seem funny . Stephen walked home with Prissy from prayer meeting four nights before Emmeline found it out . Emmeline had n't been going to prayer meeting all that summer because she was mad at Mr. Leonard .
She had expressed her disapproval XXXXX him because he had buried old Naomi Clark at the harbour `` just as if she was a Christian , '' and Mr. Leonard had said something to her she could n't get over for a while .
If at because like of on out that though to