The Jardins Publiques (Public Gardens) in a French town on an early autumn Sunday afternoon is the setting for "Miss Brill." The air is still, but there is a "faint chill, like a chill from a glass of iced water before you sip," so Miss Brill is happy to have worn her fur stole. The stole, in accordance to the fashions of the times, was constructed so that its fake eyes and nose could be attached to its tail, securing it around the wearer's neck. It is the first time she has worn it in a while. When preparing for her stroll in the park, she gives it a "good brush," "[rubs] the life back into the dim little eyes," and teasingly calls it her "little rogue."

Miss Brill watches the people in the park with delight. The band sounds "louder and gayer" to her than...