The Argosy, Vol. 67

The Tower Gardens (Chapter VI, Argosy, February 1899)

This is the sixth chapter of a serial narrative set in wintry Scotland. Mary Bayliss, a widowed woman struggling to maintain her late husband's estate Cauldknowe near the Birren, rises to face another harsh morning. Her daughters Jessie and Alison prepare breakfast in their cold kitchen, with Alison nursing a persistent cough. The narrative details their modest circumstances—scarce supplies requiring rationing, livestock dying mysteriously, dwindling resources.

Alison aspires to authorship, discussing historical papers; Jessie, described as exceptionally pretty and spirited, chaffs her cousin about writing fiction instead. The mood darkens when Mrs. Bayliss reveals she cannot spare the farm worker McQuade to fetch essential provisions like coal and coffee, forcing further deprivation.

The chapter concludes with Mrs. Bayliss producing a letter from John Harbuckle, their relative, which she has evidently read with agitation. The widow fears Harbuckle means to pressure her into leaving Cauldknowe, a prospect that devastates her emotionally.