In which the narrator finds herself increasingly beset by the unwanted attentions and suspicions of a garrulous young woman whose tale of scandals and finery dangerously mirrors her own concealed past, compelling her to endure a trying visitation with anxious composure. The innocent involvement of a perceptive and well-meaning Quaker friend affords some relief, yet also sharpens the dread that her carefully guarded secrets may soon be perilously close to exposure.