Summary

On a pleasant night in Wellington, New Zealand, Fenella Crane is being ushered toward a boat bound for Picton by her father Frank and her grandmother Mary. The stars are out in the sky, and the boat is scheduled to leave at 11:30 PM. Fenella notices how dark the night is, apart from a single lantern hanging near the Old Wharf, "but it seemed afraid to unfurl its timid, quivering light in all that blackness; it burned softly, as if for itself" (1). As they hurry toward the boat, Fenella holds her grandmother's umbrella. The handle hits her shoulder repeatedly "as if it too wanted her to hurry" (1). Fenella notices another young boy being jerked back and forth between his parents as everyone scurries to make it to the boat on time.

The first whistle blows, and Fenella and her family make their way onto the...