He was not to be blamed for this happily inaccurate picture; he was justified by the behaviour of Winona and her mother.

And he was not going to be there! He wouldn't exactly run away; he felt a morbid wish to watch the thing if he could be apart from it; but he was going to be apart.

He remembered too well the scene at the Finkboner house--and the smell of tuberoses.
Winona had unaccustomed flowers in the parlour now--not tuberoses, but almost as bad.

Until a quarter to three he expertly shuffled and dawdled and evaded.

Then Winona took a stand with him.
"Wilbur Cowan, go at once and dress yourself properly! Do you expect to appear before the Whipples that way ?" He vanished in a flurry of seeming obedience.