Little Women Notes | Chapter 31

Amy writes from England about how beautiful the landscape is and how the boat ride was. They stopped in Liverpool for a few hours, then took a train to London. In London, she and Flo took a cab around the city, which turned out to be improper for young ladies to do alone. She tells all about the places that she visited, such as Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park.

Laurie's English friends, Fred and Frank Vaughn, who visited him long ago, come to greet Amy. They become regular company and give her the tour of London. She and the Carrols then go to Paris, and Amy spends time at the museums. Fred Vaughn shows up again, claiming to be on his way to Switzerland for a holiday. , Amy is happy to have him around because he speaks French and they continue sightseeing. They go on to Germany and Switzerland next.

Amy confides to her mother in a letter that she suspects Fred likes her and intends to ask her to marry him. She says that if he asks, she will accept, because he is handsome, young, clever, and richer than the Laurences, even though his manners are not as good as Laurie's. But Fred is called back home because his brother, Frank, is ill. He has to leave immediately. Fred asks Amy to not forget him. She thinks that he would have spoken to her if he had not had to leave, and if his father was not worried about him marrying a foreign girl. Amy tells her mother not to worry, because she will be careful and not rush into anything.

Topic Tracking: Poverty 20
Topic Tracking: Young Ladies 11