Mrs. Dale, the doctor's wife, records the daily happenings in the life of her family

Mrs. Dale saw an announcement about the Sale of Goods at Parkwood Lodge and decided to go. Gwen and Sally looked over a flat in a converted house on the outskirts of Parkwood Hill. Gwen liked it, but was a little dubious because the owner had five children and she was afraid they might be noisy. Isabel Fielding reproached Edward for working late at the office so much and made it clear that she blamed his pretty new secretary. They had a quarrel. The next morning Tiggy was missing and his bed had not been slept in. It turned out that Tiggy had travelled to Chester to see the Holburns, with whom he spent Christmas, but the Chester police said that the Holburns were away and their house closed up. Isabel went to Cheater to search for Tiggy and, after her departure, Edward had news that the boy had been seen going to Liverpool. Leonora de Grey told Sally that she planned to settle in Parkwood Hill and was thinking of buying Parkwood Lodge.