Chapter 3 Summary

The town of Wethersfield is a great disappointment to Kit. It is just a very small settlement. When she arrives at her aunt's house, she meets her relatives for the first time. Her aunt Rachel, once beautiful, is a tired looking woman. She is very drably dressed. Matthew Wood, her uncle, is a somber and fierce-looking man. Her cousin Mercy is a lovely and sweet girl. Mercy is crippled due to a fever when she is a child. Mercy's sister, Judith, is very beautiful and lively, but has a haughty way about her. Though her aunt is thrilled to see her, she is not that well-received when she informs them that she has come to live with them and has no where else to go.

The house is warmed by a large fire, but sparsely furnished. It is very different to the opulence...