At what time of day does the story begin? Compare the weather outside with the atmosphere inside the parlor.

The story begins with,

The night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.

Inside it is nice an warm compared with the outside cold.