A successful venture

On a storm‑laden afternoon the Wentworth sisters gather in the cosy dining‑room of Glen Arden, each occupied with her own preoccupations. Honor, the eldest, idles with a novel and a bottle of camphor; Sophy, the youngest, creates paper‑doll dresses amid a colorful mess; Katherine, eighteen, fusses over a newly‑bought silver hand‑glass; and Victoria, fifteen, buzzes about, tending the fire. Their black dresses and the wind‑howling outside set a mood of restless anticipation.

The sudden arrival of their formidable Aunt Sophia from Boston, escorted by a gust of wind, throws the household into a flurry of preparation. The sisters scramble to tidy, hide Katherine’s prized mirror, and brace for whatever business her aunt has in mind. As the rain beats against the windows, a sense of both tension and excitement builds, hinting that the family may soon embark on an unexpected venture.