The following version of this story was used to create this study guide: Mansfield, Katherine. “At the Bay.” Katherine Mansfield – The Short Stories – Volume 3. Miniature Masterpieces, 2014, p. 12 – 38.

The story takes the reader through a full day at Crescent Bay, following the lives of various residents in this waterside neighborhood. At the beginning, a shepherd took his sheep across the bay as the sun rose. A little later in the morning, Stanley Burnell arose to go for his morning swim. He was met by Jonathan Trout, another resident, who was already in the water. Stanley was upset that he was not first, but both men soon finished their swims and returned to their homes.

Back at his home, Stanley ate breakfast, served by Beryl, his sister-in-law, before his three children, Lottie, Isabel, and Kezia, entered with their grandmother, Mrs. Fairfield. Before long, Stanley realized he was going to be late, so he started to rush around, looking for his things. A coach arrived, and Stanley rushed out.

The children decided to play outside, and they were climbing a small hill, which Lottie was having trouble with. Kezia helped her, and when they reached the top, they saw all the other children and families enjoying the outdoors. They approached Pip and Rags, the children of Jonathan Trout, and Pip showed them a “nemeral” (19).

Beryl was at the shore, and she approached Mrs. Harry Kember; they had planned to sunbathe together. Beryl pondered Mrs. Kember’s relationship with her husband, and she considered Mrs. Kember’s personality. When Beryl began to undress, Mrs. Kember started teasing her and complimenting her.

Back at the Burnell residence, Linda Burnell, Stanley’s wife, was lying in a chair outside. Her baby boy was next to her. Linda had expressed some disdain towards the child, but after looking at the child’s indifference, she started to develop some affection towards him.

Later in the day, Kezia and Mrs. Fairfield were taking a nap together. Mrs. Fairfield was recalling Kezia’s Uncle William, who had died in the mines before he met Kezia. This led to a conversation about death, which quickly morphed into a tickling fight.

Alice, the servant girl for the Burnells, was invited to Mrs. Stubbs’ shop. When she went there, Mrs. Stubbs spent most of the time reminiscing about her husband, but she eventually concluded that she was happy to have freedom.

The five children who were previously introduced in the story were gathered at the Burnell washhouse. They were playing card games and pretending to be different animals. Lottie did not quite understand how to play, and a couple of the children were helping her. After some time, Lottie was frightened, because she saw a face staring through the window.

The face ended up being that of Jonathan Trout. He had stopped by to spend some time with Linda. Linda watched Jonathan Trout, admiring his beauty but puzzling over why he was less successful and ambitious than Stanley Burnell.

After Jonathan left, Stanley returned home. He immediately apologized to Linda, because he had not said goodbye to her in the morning, but Linda had not even noticed, which offended Stanley a little bit.

It was not nighttime at the bay. Beryl was alone in her room, wondering if she would ever find love. Before long, Harry Kember appeared outside and invited her out. At first, Beryl was willing to go, but she began to feel increasingly uneasy as Harry Kember persisted. Thus, Beryl decided to return home and admonish Harry Kember for his excessive persistence.