The Altar of the Dead

This story is Henry James at his best. As he ages, George Stransom can't let go of his love for Mary Antrim, who died before they could be wed. He seems to be successful at work but his devotion to Mary leads him to lavishly embellish a chapel in a Catholic church into an altar to Mary. He adds a candle for each friend who dies and spends more and more time there among his lost loved ones. From his first visit to the church, he notices a woman in black who often visits his chapel and as time goes on they develop a deep friendship. The reader can't help wishing that these two could spend less time in the past and learn to enjoy one another in the present, but alas, it is too late when they arrive at that possibility. The story ends with a "Gift of the Magi" twist and the reader closes the book with a sigh.