“A Day in the Dark” unfolds in the quaint town of Moher, nestled along Ireland’s rugged western coast. The tale is spun by Barbie, who casts a reflective glance back to when she was a mere fifteen. She paints a vivid picture of a row of houses tucked beneath a bridge, and the heart of the town—a fusion of homes with a "faded dignity" and a thriving main street. Her narrative shifts to the intriguing history of Miss Banderry, a relic of a once illustrious family. Now a landowner with a lucrative farm, Miss Banderry had demanded half the profits from the family mills, a decision that ultimately drove her "desperate" brother to take his own life. Barbie describes her uncle’s "dealings" with Miss Banderry, where they often engaged in conversation, particularly about the literary treasures she passed along to him.

On one particular afternoon, Barbie visits Miss Banderry to return a magazine and request a farm implement for her uncle. Thoughtfully, she brings roses, pretending they are from him. At the doorway, she encounters Nan, Miss Banderry’s widowed niece, who informs Barbie that her aunt is resting and instructs her to wait. As she waits, Barbie observes the house, "inhabited" by portraits of Banderry ancestors. Her gaze falls upon her own "slender" reflection in a mirror, revealing "no hint yet of womanhood."

When Mrs. Banderry finally appears, a shadow of disappointment crosses her face upon realizing Barbie’s uncle has not come. Engaging in playful banter, she exclaims, “I hear wonders of you,” a claim Barbie knows to be untrue. Mrs. Banderry pretends to believe the flowers are from Barbie’s uncle and thanks for the magazine he borrowed. Noticing marks on its pages, she attempts to embarrass Barbie by suggesting her uncle reads at meal times, overlooking his niece. She quickly tempers the sting with, “Oh, I’m sure you’re a great companion for him.”

Barbie imagines Mrs. Banderry can peer into her very soul, worried the woman might uncover her affection for her uncle. Her thoughts of him have been pure: “There was not a danger till she spoke.”

As Mrs. Banderry tries to wrap up the visit, Barbie admits her uncle wishes to borrow a farming tool once more. This request vexes the woman, who brands him a “brute” and complains, “Time after time, it’s the same story.” When she declares her reluctance to lend machinery, Barbie responds with haughtiness, saying she will convey the message to her uncle. Mrs. Banderry reconsiders, teasing that she might relent—or might not. She then scrutinizes Barbie, concluding that her uncle ought not “hide behind” her skirts, suggesting he should have come himself. Barbie maintains that her uncle was too occupied that day.

The memory fades after Mrs. Banderry likens Barbie’s uncle to her deceased brother. Now older and wiser, the narrator refuses to divulge any further insights about the woman she later gleaned, opting to capture only her youthful, innocent experience of that day. She perceives the woman’s “amorous hostility” toward her uncle but remains puzzled by its roots. Barbie stresses that she and her uncle harbored no remorse about their relationship that summer, claiming they “did each other no harm.” They "played house together on the margin of a passion which was impossible.”

Returning to her recollections, Barbie remembers exiting Mrs. Banderry’s abode with a little "ceremony," sipping a "thimble glass" of raspberry cordial. As she departs, Nan asks "conspiratorially" if she is meeting her uncle. Barbie confesses she is unaware of his presence in town and had intended to catch the bus home. Practically ushered out, she feels Nan’s gaze...