Chapter 17 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Jean reflecting on the figure of the unofficial aunt—a modern alternative to the derided maiden aunt of literary tradition. Unlike the comic and tragic spinsters of earlier fiction, such as Jane Austen's Miss Bates, these women have careers and money of their own and offer friendship and guidance to their friends' children, to everyone's benefit.

Jean puts this theory into practice by taking Margaret to an afternoon piano recital at St. Mary le Strand. She has prepared carefully, unwrapping Margaret's toffees in advance so they will not rustle during the music. The program includes Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca and a Rachmaninov piece, but Margaret grows restless. Jean, who herself finds the music dull, decides to walk out mid-program—a daring act for her, since she has never left a performance early before and regards waste as a sin against thrift.

Outside, Margaret shares her notebook, which she uses to record unfamiliar words she hears from her angel voices—words like administrator, malfeasance, and ormolu. She also reveals that her teacher, Mrs. Garpitt, has told her she has a reading age of thirteen. Jean is struck by Margaret's innocent and profound questions, including whether rabbits can like people and whether having one baby means you can have another.

They stop for tea at Simpson's, where Margaret orders a strawberry millefeuille and eats it layer by layer. When the bill arrives, Margaret tries to pay with a shilling her mother gave her, but Jean insists it is her treat.

Margaret then asks to surprise her father at his shop in Bedford Street. Jean agrees, and they find Howard with a customer who is trying to choose a gift for his fiancée. Howard invites Jean's opinion, and Margaret points out a ruby pendant with matching earrings. The customer buys the pendant for twenty pounds—Howard's best sale of the day—though he hesitates over the earrings, unsure whether his fiancée has pierced ears.

Jean reflects on her own ordinariness, noting that being plain was dispiriting at twenty but hardly matters by forty. She also realizes that Howard is by some stretch the nicest man she has ever met, a significant shift from her first impression of him as awkward and unworthy of Gretchen.

Walking back to Burdett Road, Margaret mentions that Gretchen promised to make spitzbuben jam cookies for tea. When they arrive, Gretchen admits she failed to make them, and Margaret is visibly disappointed. Jean defends Gretchen, noting that she has been working all afternoon.

As Jean leaves, Gretchen tells her she is glad Jean visited Howard, saying he likes her very much and benefits from having a woman friend to talk to. Jean suspects Gretchen means the reverse—that she is matchmaking. She remembers her mother's jealous remark that the Tillings seem to be making quite a project of her.

Key Events

Jean takes Margaret to a piano recital at St. Mary le Strand; they leave before the program ends
Margaret shows Jean her notebook of unfamiliar words from her angel voices
They have tea at Simpson's, where Margaret tries to pay her share
Margaret asks to visit Howard at his shop; she helps persuade a customer to buy a ruby pendant
Howard makes his best sale of the day, twenty pounds
Jean reflects that Howard is the nicest man she has ever met
Gretchen admits she failed to make the promised spitzbuben cookies
Gretchen tells Jean she is glad she visited Howard, hinting at matchmaking

Character Development

Jean continues to grow into her role as unofficial aunt, finding genuine delight in Margaret's company and questions. Her reflections on her own ordinariness show a woman at peace with herself—she notes that being plain was harder at twenty than at forty. Her admiration for Howard has grown considerably since their first meeting, when she found him unimpressive.

Margaret displays her innocence and charm throughout the chapter—her angel voices, her earnest questions, her careful eating of the millefeuille, and her surprisingly effective salesmanship at the shop. Her disappointment about the spitzbuben shows her childish side, but she is easily corrected.

Gretchen reveals her matchmaking intentions more openly, telling Jean that Howard likes her very much and needs a woman friend to talk to. Her emphasis suggests she means more than friendship.

Howard is warm and droll with Jean, teasing her about the wasted rabbit-less years and showing genuine pleasure at the visit.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The unofficial aunt: Jean's opening reflection frames the chapter's central relationship. She positions herself as a new breed of unmarried woman—not a pitiable maiden aunt but a modern woman with time and energy to offer children like Margaret.

Thrift and money: Jean's thrift is a recurring motif—she regards waste as a sin against thrift, the only religion she practices. The chapter contrasts her carefulness with the customer's twenty-pound purchase, which Jean notes would take her nearly a month to earn.

Childhood innocence: Margaret's questions—whether rabbits can like people, whether the sky looks the same to everyone—capture the brief window between consciousness and self-consciousness that Jean treasures.

Jean's ordinariness: Jean's reflection on her plainness at twenty versus forty suggests a woman who has made peace with herself, even as she envies the unknown woman who will receive the ruby pendant.

Gretchen's matchmaking: Gretchen's emphatic approval of Jean's visit to Howard, and Jean's suspicion that she means the reverse of what she says, advance the novel's central romantic thread.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the bond between Jean and Margaret while advancing the slow-burning romance between Jean and Howard. Jean's realization that Howard is the nicest man she has ever met marks a significant shift in her feelings, and Gretchen's explicit encouragement—however obliquely expressed—signals that the matchmaking is intentional. The chapter also develops the theme of the unofficial aunt, positioning Jean's relationship with Margaret as mutually beneficial.

Study Questions

1. How does Jean's reflection on the unofficial aunt frame her relationship with Margaret in this chapter?

Jean's opening meditation contrasts the derided maiden aunt of literary tradition—prudish, comic, tragic—with a new breed of unmarried women who have careers and money of their own. She positions herself in the latter category, and the chapter demonstrates the mutual benefits she describes: Margaret gains a confidante free of parental expectations, while Jean enjoys a taste of parenthood and a greater understanding of the younger generation. Her careful preparation of the toffees, her patience with Margaret's questions, and her willingness to leave the recital early all show her commitment to the role.

2. What does the visit to Howard's shop reveal about Jean's feelings for him?

Jean's initial impression of Howard was that he was awkward and unworthy of his pretty young wife, but by this chapter she has revised that judgment completely. She reflects that he is by some stretch the nicest man she has ever met and enjoys being teased by him. Her envy of the unknown woman who will receive the ruby pendant suggests a longing for romance, even as she dismisses the possibility of wearing such a jewel herself. The chapter marks a clear turning point in her feelings.

3. How does Gretchen's behavior at the end of the chapter hint at her intentions for Jean and Howard?

Gretchen is emphatic in her approval of Jean's visit to Howard, saying she is glad Jean went and that Howard likes her very much. Jean suspects Gretchen means the reverse of what she says—that her emphasis signals matchmaking rather than mere friendship. This echoes Howard's earlier description of Jean's influence on Gretchen and Jean's mother's jealous remark that the Tillings are making quite a project of her. Gretchen's hints, however subtle, point toward a deliberate effort to bring Jean and Howard together.