Chapter 39

Summary

• The chapter takes place on October 19, 1940, on St. Frideswide's Day, with unusual warmth signaling the end of fall in Binsey.
• Radio broadcasts featuring Churchill's speeches are common, overshadowing Bridie's music as Harry and Hazel focus on schoolwork.
• Hazel is consumed by memories of a kiss with Harry and struggles with her feelings, becoming brusque and distant to avoid showing her longing.
• Flora is learning the alphabet with Harry's help, creating a creative version that reflects their past adventures in Whisperwood, a place that now seems lost.
• Despite war and rations impinging on daily life, Bridie creates a sense of normalcy and safety with rituals like picnics by the river.
• Bridie announces plans to get a telephone, a sign of the times as they worry about receiving bad news regarding their mother's condition.
• Hazel, Flora, and Harry go on a picnic, carrying a basket of food Bridie prepared, and head to the riverside, a familiar and comforting spot.
• Hazel grapples with conflicted emotions about Harry, desiring closeness while also creating fantasy stories about a life with him.
• Amidst the tranquil picnic scene, Hazel becomes upset when Harry innocently inquires about the stories she tells Flora, misunderstanding him as prying into their private world.
• Hazel runs off to Whisperwood, a secretly cherished place, only to be followed by Harry, who finds her and they share an intimate moment.
• Their peaceful moment is abruptly cut short by the realization that Flora has disappeared, concluding the chapter with a sense of urgency and fear.