In "Prelude" and "At the Bay," unlike other Mansfield stories, there is no single controlling point of view. Both stories are episodic, and the center of consciousness shifts from character to character. While nearly every character has his or her moment of illumination, the three characters who are developed most fully are Stanley, Linda Burnell, and Beryl Fairfield.

Linda Burnell should be the dominant woman in the household. She is the wife of an important businessman and the mother of his children, but she has left the running of the household and the raising of her children to her mother. Her relationship to Stanley is characterized by remoteness. At times her sister appears to be more Stanley's wife than Linda. Beryl plays cribbage at night with Stanley, and Beryl flirts with him as Linda remains lost in her dreams. Linda is analytical about her emotions and her lack...