Katherine Mansfield The Stranger This story by Katherine Mansfield, is set in Auckland, where Mr. Hammond is waiting for his wife, returning from Europe. After talking to other people waiting at the port, his wife arrives but she lingers, raising the question of whether her husband was ill during the trip. At the hotel, Hammond says he will spend the days visiting Auckland, before returning to Napier, where they live. She seems far away, and shw reveals that in the end she lingered because a man had died on board, and she was alone with him at that time.