Summary

In “Miss Emily Intervenes in a Family Matter,” Emily and Ada chatter in the garden. Ada is scolded by Austin and Mrs. Dickinson for idling. When Emily notices Ada’s melancholy is due to more than the scolding, she learns that her aunt Mary is ill and kindly asks her father to send Dr. Brewster. However, it is to no avail, and by the next chapter, “Miss Ada Is Laid Low by Grief,” Aunt Mary is dead. Ada, Uncle Michael, and her cousins grieve at the funeral. Ada is comforted by Daniel, who she has grown fond of. With both female cousins out of the house and in the absence of Mary, it will only be Uncle Michael and Ada. A priest recommends she find somewhere else to live.

In “Miss...