Chapter 8 Summary

Edith writes another letter to David in which she informs him that she has discovered that Mrs. Pusey's true age is 79, which shocks her. She thinks Jennifer is the kind of girl who will never leave her mother and mentions her friend Penelope Milne, who has refused many offers of marriage because her mother did not approve of the man. Edith wishes that her mother had given her guidance and advice; she never knew her own mother to do much more than bark disdain at her. She writes that her mother's fantasies, which remained unchanged throughout her life, taught Edith about reality. While she faces reality constantly, Edith wonders at times if it serves her any better than it did her mother.

The night of Mrs. Pusey's birthday, Monica openly feeds her first course to her dog Kiki and no one seems to...