A middle-aged widower physician contemplates a woman ten years younger who has been visiting him in his country home; he finds himself willing to confess his love to her, though he is certain that she has been with other men and is not concerned about the sanctity of marriage. He believes that if she were the marrying sort, she would already have a husband at age thirty seven. The man realizes that the whole reason why he came to the countryside is because he wants to rest while his son is at a summer school. He acknowledges that he has not accomplished all of his dreams as a physician. The woman comes over and lounges on the man's couch. Outside, at midnight, drunken men make crude comments about her and sexualize her. The pair go on a walk and the doctor tells her that it is foolish for him to stay in the countryside so long, though he still believes that he might love her. She confesses that her heart was broken years ago by an English novelist when she moved overseas to become a painter. She and the doctor kiss and walk back to the cabin, where he explains to her that physician's wives have challenging lives. She insists that she still wants to marry him. He walks her back to her home and wonders at how frightened he had been to confess his love to her.