In which the narrator, burdened by the shame of her past and her unknown children, resolves through the counsel of her faithful servant Amy to adopt a new and concealed life among a sober Quaker family, transforming herself in dress and manner to escape her former infamy. This retreat brings a measure of peace and the means to quietly pursue old acquaintances and concerns from afar, while contemplating the melancholy reflections of a life once lived differently.