About this story
I would rather be plain Susan than carry a name that promises a beauty I do not possess. You step into this one-chapter preview with Esther at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Let the bell follow me; I will learn what it means when I reach home. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
How it opens
Esther spent the last holiday at Redmayne House comparing her grave name and angular face with the polished girls around her.
I would rather be plain Susan than carry a name that promises a beauty I do not possess.
JessieYour name does not owe the world a face, Esther; it may simply be the name by which we find you.
Jessie listened beneath the may tree while Esther praised Carrie's self-denial and wondered whether goodness could become another kind of vanity.
CarrieYour mother sent word that the holiday will end with a change at home, but she would not explain it in her letter.
Then I will finish this day honestly, without pretending that I am eager for a future I cannot see.