List details mentioned in the story, including the house, its colonial setting, weather and time of day, and the women themselves, that enhance the gloomy mood. 

Describe briefly the challenges a young newlywed woman of colonial Massachusetts might face upon learning that her husband has died.

The author suggests that it was the wives, and not the husbands, who ruled their shared home: “Mary and herself had exercised in love a power that love had won” (9). What does the author mean by this? How does it affect the wives’ relationship?

The story is shot through with parallel events experienced by the two women. Summarize these coincidences and explain how they foreshadow the surprise ending.

Why is Margaret irritated with the visit by Goodman Parker? Why is Mary irritated with a similar visit by sailor Stephen?