A collection of linked historical sketches and short stories evokes life, legend, and atmosphere in colonial Boston and its environs, centering on landmarks, portraits, and domestic interiors. Vignettes range from social entertainments and masked revelries to mysterious heirlooms, moral dilemmas, and haunted memories, often prompted by objects such as tiles, portraits, or mantles. The narrative voice combines antiquarian description with psychological observation, blending local color and antiquity to reflect on loyalty, reputation, and the lingering presence of the past in everyday settings.