Summary: Chapter XIV
The governess walks to church accompanied by
Miles. Mrs. Grose and Flora are ahead of them, on their way to church
as well. On the way, Miles brings up school, asking when he will
be going back. He quickly adds that he has grown tired of always
being around women and points out that he has been very well behaved, except
for that one night. The governess interviews Miles carefully, trying
to coax out of him the reason for his expulsion from school. She
is unsuccessful. Miles maintains that he wants to go back to school
to be around his “own sort,” to which the governess laughs and refers
to Flora as the only example of his “sort” she knows. Nearing the
gate for church, Miles asks whether his uncle agrees with the governess
on the matter, and the governess tells Miles she doesn’t think
his uncle cares about his situation. Triumphantly declaring that
he will make his uncle come to Bly and care, Miles marches off into
church alone.
Summary: Chapter XV
The governess turns away from church, feeling defeated
by Miles and taken aback by the sudden revelation that he possesses
“consciousness and a plan.” With the sudden intention of leaving
Bly, she returns to the house and impulsively sits at the bottom
of the staircase. She jumps up quickly, repulsed by the memory that the
spot is the same place where Miss Jessel had sat during their last
encounter. The governess heads for the schoolroom, where she finds
Miss Jessel at the table, in the same position as before, with her
head in her hands. The ghost rises with an air of indifference to
the governess’s entrance. Standing not far from the governess, Miss
Jessel stares intently at her. The governess is disturbed by the
feeling that she is the one who is intruding and cries out to the
ghost, calling her a “terrible, miserable woman.” Miss Jessel looks
at the governess as though she understands, then vanishes. The room
is now empty and bright with sunshine, and the governess has a strong
feeling that she must stay on at Bly.
Summary: Chapter XVI
Mrs. Grose and the two children return home from church
and act as though the governess’s absence is nothing unusual. The
governess, hurt and upset, manages to get Mrs. Grose alone so that
she can inquire as to whether the children “bribed her to silence.”
Mrs. Grose confirms the governess’s suspicion, saying the children
had asked her not to say anything. She says the children told her
that the governess would be happier if they made no mention of it
and that they must do all they can to please her. The governess
tells Mrs. Grose that everything is “all out” between Miles and
her, and she goes on to say that she has had “a talk” with Miss Jessel.
When Mrs. Grose inquires further, the governess claims that Miss
Jessel spoke of the torments of the dead and that the ghost wants
Flora.
To Mrs. Grose’s relief, the governess says she
will send for the children’s uncle. The two discuss the problem
of Miles’s expulsion, with the governess deciding that the reason
was “wickedness.” Mrs. Grose defends Miles, saying his relationship
with Quint was not his fault and that she will take the blame. Mrs.
Grose then offers to write to the uncle instead. The governess responds
with sarcasm, asking her colleague if she wants to write out their
fantastical story. Breaking down with tears in her eyes, Mrs. Grose
entreats the governess to write the letter. The governess says she
will write that evening, and the two separate.
Summary: Chapter XVII
The governess begins writing to the children’s
uncle that windy evening. Restless, she gets up to listen at Miles’s
door. Miles calls out for her to come in, saying he heard her walk
across the passage. When the governess enters his room, Miles brings
up the “queer business” of how the governess is bringing him up.
Holding her breath, the governess asks what he means, to which he
replies that she knows. She tells him he will go back to school
and points out that she hadn’t known his desire to return because
he had never spoken of it. Miles ponders and asks, “[H]aven’t I?”
His expression triggers a pang in the governess. She confirms that
no, he has never mentioned any detail about school, and she had
always assumed that he was happy at Bly.
Miles shakes his head and says he wants to “get
away.” When the governess asks him to clarify, he replies “[Y]ou know
what a boy wants!” He rejects the idea of going to his uncle’s but
declares that his uncle must come to Bly and settle things. At this,
the governess begins to question Miles about things he hasn’t told
her. Miles asserts that he wants a different environment with such
serenity that the governess throws herself onto him with embraces.
Miles lets her kiss him, then tells her to “let [him] alone.” The
governess again tries to pry from him the reason for his expulsion.
At his “quaver of consenting consciousness,” she embraces him again, when
with a chilly gust, the room turns dark and Miles shrieks. The governess
exclaims that the candle has gone out, and Miles says that it was
he who blew it out.
