The following version of this story was used to create this guide: Mansfield, Katherine. "The Doves' Nest." Katherine Mansfield Society Online. https://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/THE-DOVES-NEST.pdf.

Note that parenthetical citations refer to the page number on which the quotation appears.

"The Doves' Nest" begins with a young woman named Milly and her mother Mrs. Fawcett admiring flowers on their balcony. Marie, a housekeeper, informs them that they have an unexpected visitor named Mr. Prodger. After weighing whether they should invite him inside, Mrs. Fawcett decides to welcome him. When he arrives, he tells Mrs. Fawcett that he knew her husband and is wondering if he is staying with them now. Mrs. Fawcett tells Mr. Prodger that her husband passed away two years ago.

Milly, Mrs. Fawcett, and Mr. Prodger continue to exchange pleasantries. He tells them he was recently in Florence but is glad to be in the French Riviera. Before he departs, Mrs. Fawcett invites him to lunch the following Wednesday with her daughter and her companion Miss Anderson. He accepts, and Mrs. Fawcett and Milly discuss how lovely it was to meet him.

All of the women of the villa are excited for Mr. Prodger to come to lunch, including the cook Yvonne and the housekeeper Marie. Yvonne buys ingredients for an elaborate meal and Marie puts fresh flowers in the dish on the dining room table. She is responsible for always putting new flowers in the dish, and, as she curates them, she fantasizes about the flowers as funeral flowers for Mrs. Fawcett, Miss Anderson, Milly, and now Mr. Prodger.

Just before lunch, Milly speaks with Miss Anderson. Miss Anderson tells Milly that she expects Mr. Prodger to want to talk about politics, and both Milly and Mrs. Fawcett become anxious that they are not well-versed in the subject. Soon, Mr. Prodger arrives for lunch. The meal is pleasant but Mrs. Fawcett finds herself falling into the same pattern of conversation they had had the week before. Marie takes special care to make sure the meal is better than any other that the women have enjoyed by themselves. Milly tells Mr. Prodger that she would like to visit America, where he is from, and he tells her she should make the trip.

Lunch ends and everyone retreats to the balcony. Mr. Prodger continues asking Milly about herself while they prepare their coffee. The story ends here, but was left unfinished before the author's death.