Summary

Book 2, Chapter 1 opens in the autumn of 1902. Lucy has returned to Haverford from Chicago. Some townspeople see Lucy walking down the street, and they comment on how her demeanor is now much more melancholic. The townspeople do not know what has caused this change in Lucy. Lucy goes to the post office and sees Harry Gordon there. Lucy says hello to him, but Harry’s response bears no trace of friendliness. Harry now works at his father’s bank. Lucy has moved back in with her older sister—Pauline—and their father. Lucy dislikes the guarded tone that most people in town, including Pauline, seem to use when speaking with her. Lucy exists in a state of general depression following Sebastian’s death, and she has begun keeping her distance from people in general. Pauline has taken charge of the management...