Book 1, The Family, Chapter 1 Summary

The Professor's House by Willa Cather is a tale about dealing with loss and change. Godfrey St. Peter is a successful author and professor at a small Midwestern college, Hamilton, whose impending move to a new house sets off a series of personal and familial tensions.

While he is finishing moving out of his house, Godfrey St. Peter decides to stay on in his study. He comes to the decision after reflecting on the twenty years he has spent living in the house and tending his garden. He had shared the study with Augusta, his seamstress, who had often used it for her sewing when St. Peter was not working. He explains his decision to Augusta, the family's seamstress, who does not understand the reason he wants to stay in such an uncomfortable room. St. Peter stops...