He had a mortal dislike, poor Stransom, to lean anniversaries, and loved them still lesswhen they made a pretence of a figure. Celebrations and suppressions were equally painfulto him, and but one of the former found a place in his life. He had kept each year in his ownfashion the date of Mary Antrim's death. It would be more to the point perhaps to say thatthis occasion kept him: it kept him at least effectually from doing anything else. It took...