Edith Gale

Roger Gale

Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight.

Deborah Gale

Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty.

Father Abraham

Edith is Father Abraham's daughter, and their relationship is strained by her modern, rebellious attitudes clashing with his traditional values.

Bruce Cunningham

Bruce is romantically involved with Edith, creating tension with her family due to his questionable reputation.

Laura Gale

Edith and Laura are sisters with a warm but sometimes distant relationship, as Edith's independence contrasts with Laura's innocence.

Roger Gale

Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight.

Deborah Gale

Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty.

Deborah Gale

Deborah and Edith are sisters with a complex dynamic of love, rivalry, and differing views on family duty.

Father Abraham

Edith is Father Abraham's daughter, and their relationship is strained by her modern, rebellious attitudes clashing with his traditional values.

Roger Gale

Edith is Roger's younger sister, with a close but sometimes contentious bond as she seeks independence from his oversight.

Bruce Cunningham

Bruce is romantically involved with Edith, creating tension with her family due to his questionable reputation.

Laura Gale

Edith and Laura are sisters with a warm but sometimes distant relationship, as Edith's independence contrasts with Laura's innocence.

His Family

Rejoices at Deborah's engagement.

I

Roger's eldest daughter, a married woman with four children and another on the way, who plays chess with her father and treats him with gentle condescension.

Chapter II

Mentioned as approaching confinement and anxious about her family; visited earlier but missed Deborah.

IV

Hosts Roger and Deborah for supper; rejoices at Laura's engagement but worries about Deborah's ability to manage the household.

VI

Anxiously awaiting the birth of her baby; her children are at the Gale house; she is absorbed in motherhood, mirroring her father's own tendencies.

VII

Recovering from childbirth, criticizes Laura's modern ideas and warns Roger about Deborah's influence.

VIII

Visited by Roger after childbirth; she suggests he settle Laura's bills and lies still making plans for her children.

XIII

Visits Deborah and urges her to rest and marry; uses Baird's remark to pressure her sister.

XIV

Prepares coffee for the travelers, greets them at the farmhouse, described as blooming with health.

XVI

Disapproves of Laura's lifestyle and Deborah's publicity, stops visiting for three weeks, then reconciles and leads efforts to arrange Deborah's marriage.

Chapter XVIII

Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but her earlier rejoicing at Deborah's engagement is implicitly part of the household's atmosphere.

XIX

Radiant at Deborah's engagement; discusses wedding plans and Deborah's age and school; resolves with Bruce to be closer to Deborah and Allan.

Chapter XX

Bruce's wife, who is with him as he dies and comes to understand the situation.

Chapter XXI

Newly widowed, Edith is pale and bitter but composed; she agrees to move to the mountains with her children and accepts Madge Deering's support.

Chapter XXII

Departs with the children for the mountains, accompanied by Madge Deering; her furniture is stored or returned to the family home.

XXIII

Grieving Bruce's death, she plans her children's lives rigidly and resists Deborah's visit, showing a hard and jealous side.

Chapter XXIV

Briefly appears, alarmed by the war news but quickly distracted by her children.

XXVI

Struggles with the new reality of poverty after Bruce's death, taking on all household and childcare duties herself.

Chapter XXVII

Edith is withdrawn and hurt, feeling outdated and defensive against Deborah's new ideas; she has let Hannah go to save money.

XXVIII

Mends clothes, sings a lullaby to Tad, and confronts Roger about John's tuberculosis, insisting he must leave.

XXIX

Expressed concern about John's health; Deborah criticizes her 'blind motherhood.'

A Season of Quiet

Manages the household, prepares for Christmas, and appreciates her father's companionship and reading.

XXXI

Edith is present in the household, disapproving of Laura's behavior and attempting to shield her children from the family drama.

XXXII

Edith is tactful and supportive during dinner, smoothing over the tension. She is later hurt when Deborah asks to speak privately with Roger.

XXXIII

Confronts Laura about the divorce, argues with Roger, and is horrified that Laura remains in the house with her children.

XXXIV

Resists Deborah's suggestions, insisting on maintaining her children's standards; later reconciles partially with Roger over chess.

XXXV

Nurses her sick children tirelessly, calls Doctor Lake for Bruce's pneumonia, and resents Deborah's interference.

Chapter XXXVII

Edith prepares for the move to the farm with her children and reconciles with Deborah.

XXXVIII

Sits by the window, showing signs of age and quiet resolve; has left New York for a simpler life in the old family house.

Chapter XLIII

Edith visits Roger, but he sees pity in her face and feels she does not heed his warning about aging. He has a disturbing vision of a woman in a graveyard.

XLIV

Seen with children, her anxious eyes turning to Roger in a moment of need.