Horace Chase

The narrative follows a widow and her family after the death of the household head, as they take up residence in two inherited Southern houses and adjust to reduced means. Domestic scenes and social interactions sketch varied personalities, from comfort-loving members to more practical relatives, and emphasize household economy, memory, and taste. The rambling mountain house and occasional wintering at a coastal property provide contrasting settings that shape daily life and anxieties about belonging. A sequence at a nearby resort introduces newcomers whose arrival provokes curiosity and triggers shifting alliances and social complications that drive the story forward.