Miriam's Schooling and Other Papers

Most of the book deals with Miriam growing up and her experiences in London before she returns to her home village and settles into life with a husband. She begins to chafe against her provincial life and her husband's apparent lack of interest in anything cultural or intellectual. It is only when they are introduced to astronomical observation by a local parson does her husband's skill and craftsmanship begin to win her affection, as he ultimately constructs an orrery to help her understand basic astronomical concepts like the inclination of the Earth's axis and the rotation of objects in the solar system.