Round the Sofa (1859), by Elizabeth Gaskell, A NOVEL (volume 2): Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

The narrator, Miss Greatorex, is invited to join a party of friends who meet on a weekly basis 'round the sofa' in Mrs Dawson's house. When Mrs Dawson mentions her cousin Lady Ludlow, Miss Greatorex wants to find out more about her and the storytelling begins.Round the Sofa is not really a story. It is a vehicle to contain short stories. The narrator is invited to the home of a sickly invalid for weekly gatherings where each person in the circle takes turns telling a story. Round the Sofa i...