A couple of days later, Valancy is staring broodingly at a rosebush which had she planted some five years before. While the bush has grown and flourished, it has never bloomed, no matter what she's tried to make it do so. She reflects that this is the story of her life and, filled with sudden rage, she grabs some garden snips and attacks the bush, slashing and cutting it mercilessly. Her mother sees what she's doing and is horrified: how dare Doss ruin a perfectly healthy bush, and without consulting her. Valancy mutters rebelliously that rosebushes should bloom, and anyway, it's her bush; her mother marches into the house, offended and full of righteous indignation. Valancy knows that she's in for a chilly evening, but escapes into town for a while because Cousin Stickles asks her to pick up the mail and drop by the drugstore and purchase a bottle of Redfern's Blood Bitters for her. When she picks up the mail, Valancy sees that there is a letter for her from Dr. Trent, sent from Montreal. She conceals it and waits until she is alone in her room to open the missive: "Dear Miss Sterling..."
Valancy sits in her bedroom in shock; Dr. Trent states in the letter that he's sorry to inform her that she has a fatal heart condition- angina pectoris- which is further complicated by an aneurism. She has about a year to live, though any severe shock or great physical exertion could prove immediately fatal. He has written a prescription for pain medication, to be taken when she has an attack, and advises her to avoid any kind of physical- or emotional- strain. As she finishes the letter, Valancy must contemplate the fact that her life- which she's spent the last few days bemoaning- is going to be shortly coming to an end.