Section 1 Summary (through page 13)

A Month in the Country opens in Oxgodby, England with a train stopping at the station platform. Thomas Birkin gathers his things and steps down. He adjusts his pack and takes a look at his map. A girl stares at him from the station house. Birkin imagines that she is looking at his coat, a pre-war herringbone tweed which reaches his ankles.

The stationmaster approaches him and offers an umbrella. Birkin tells him that he is going to the Church and can dry out when he gets there. As he arrives at the church, he speculates that the area probably has not seen a medieval wool boom. The church is modest. It is pretty in its own way including a squat tower and stone walls. It also seems to be in good repair. The rain does not appear to...