"He [WW] was much older and more feeble than I had expected, and I had a painful feeling of having intruded upon him. I could almost say I am sorry I went, though I dare say by-and-by I shall be glad."

She set part of the book in Avebury simply because she used to stay each year with a family that lived there for a few years, and the prehistory seen from the garden reminded her of these people who meant a great deal to her. The rest of the novel is set in Newport.