Summary

Manya takes on work as a governess to support her father and sister. Her employers, Monsignor and Madame Z., have a large estate one hundred miles outside of Warsaw in Szczuki. It is a thankless job that leaves Manya exhausted and depressed, particularly after she is denied marriage to the Z.'s eldest son, Casimir Z. Casimir's parents refuse to allow their son to wed a girl who is obliged to work in "other people's houses". Manya writes to her sister that she has no plans to fall in love.

In 1888, Manya's father accepts a better paying post as head of a reform school, which allows him and Bronya to put more money aside for Manya's schooling. Bronya is engaged to a different man named Casimir and she is almost ready to take...