September 1898 — Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

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Summary

In September 1898, Esme still spends her mornings helping Mrs. Ballard in the kitchen, but her afternoons draw her to the Scriptorium, where she watches Hilda file slips and Dr. Murray work at his high desk. One afternoon she asks her father if she can become his assistant instead of a cook. Da is taken aback, but Mr. Sweatman's gentle teasing—asking why being a girl should matter—helps persuade him. Da agrees, and Esme begins running errands: returning books to college libraries, delivering notes, and carrying messages between the Scriptorium and the Oxford University Press.

Dr. Murray notices her comings and goings and decides to take her to the Bodleian Library. There he argues with Mr. Nicholson, the librarian, that Esme should be granted reader status so she can verify quotations for the Dictionary. Mr. Nicholson is reluctant—she is neither a scholar nor a student—but Dr. Murray insists that neither her sex nor her age disqualifies her. Esme recites the Bodleian oath and becomes a reader. Soon she is checking quotations, such as the date for a line from Thomas Hood's poem about flounders.

As her responsibilities grow, Dr. Murray sends her to the Oxford University Press with notes for Mr. Hart, the Controller. One note settles a spelling dispute over the word forgo: Dr. Murray argues that the prefix is for- (as in forget), not fore- (as in foregone), and that common usage should not override etymological logic. Mr. Hart agrees; Mr. Bradley concedes. During this visit Esme notices a young compositor with almost violet eyes—a boy she remembers from St. Barnabas—but they are not introduced.

Later, Eleanor Bradley, Mr. Bradley's daughter and assistant, tells Esme that the Press Delegates may appoint a third editor and that the Dictionary work may move to the Old Ashmolean. Eleanor shows Esme the slips for the verb go, and Esme feels a strong urge to touch them—followed by shame, because she has been kept away from slips since her return. She asks Da if she can help sort slips, but he is hesitant and says he will ask Dr. Murray.

A few days later, Dr. Murray entrusts Esme with the slips for grade and graded, warning her that they are the only copies and every one is precious. On her way into the Press, she drops the slips. A compositor—Gareth—helps her gather them, and they finally introduce themselves. Gareth tells her he prefers to say he gives words substance, and that not all words find their way to a page.

As the new century begins, Dr. Murray fetches Esme from the kitchen and leads her to the Scriptorium, where Da presents her with a wooden desk. It has new pencils, blank slips, and two books from Elsie, who has read them and wants Esme to have them. The underside of the lid is lined with wallpaper from the Murray house. Dr. Murray says her father will employ her to do whatever is useful, and he will pay her £1 5s. per month. The next morning Esme begins her paid work: sorting the post, delivering letters to the assistants, and arranging slips for words beginning with M in chronological order.

Key Events

Esme asks Da to make her his assistant instead of a cook; Mr. Sweatman supports her, and Da agrees.
Dr. Murray secures Esme's reader status at the Bodleian Library after arguing with Mr. Nicholson.
Esme begins checking quotations and delivering notes to the Oxford University Press.
Dr. Murray's note settles the forgo/forego spelling dispute in favour of forgo.
Eleanor Bradley shares rumours of a third editor and a possible move to the Old Ashmolean.
Esme is entrusted with the slips for grade and graded, drops them, and is helped by Gareth, the compositor.
At the new century, Da gives Esme a desk in the Scriptorium, and she begins paid work sorting post and slips.

Character Development

Esme moves from the margins of the Scriptorium to a place at its centre. She begins the chapter as a kitchen assistant who only dares to hover in the doorway, and ends it as a paid employee with her own desk. Her declaration that she does not want to be a cook but an editor—a statement that surprises even herself—marks a turning point in her sense of identity. She also gains trust: Dr. Murray entrusts her with precious slips, and she proves herself reliable, even when she drops them. Her observation that she can still see the assistants without being seen suggests she values her quiet vantage point, but now her presence is intentional and acknowledged.

Da shows his support by agreeing to take Esme on and by arranging her desk. His hesitation when she asks to sort slips—his hand moving the coins in his pocket—reveals his caution, but he ultimately follows through. His gift of the desk, with its wallpaper from the Murray house, signals his pride in her.

Dr. Murray demonstrates his willingness to bend rules for the Dictionary's sake. He argues forcefully for Esme's reader status, and he trusts her with the only copies of the grade slips. His note on forgo shows his commitment to etymological logic over common usage.

Gareth is introduced as a compositor who sees words as living things. His comment that a real word is one said out loud and meaning something to someone hints at a theme that will grow in importance: the value of spoken, everyday language.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Gender roles and expectations. Esme's request to be an assistant rather than a cook directly challenges the assumption that girls should learn domestic skills for marriage. Mr. Sweatman's question—