The novel opens with the arrival of the Governess's future sister-in-law, who has not been seen for a long time. The Governess asks her fiance, the cousin of her future husband, if she is his future sister, and he replies that she is. He tells her that he has told her that her cousin is "very beautiful" and that she looks half like her father and half like "her aunt" . He then asks her if she has arrived, and she tells him that she has. She then tells him about her grandson, who is studying abroad and has found her a beautiful granddaughter. She tells him to come in and see how promising his grandson is, and then asks him what he likes to do. He says that he likes "to bake some baking" , which is a compliment to her grandson. She says that she likes to bake cakes and pastries, and that her grandson found them. She asks her grandson if he has been waiting for her all afternoon, and when he says he has, she goes to help him. She scolds him for being so unreasonable, saying that he should accept it for his own good. He replies that he said she was wrong, and should accept