Chapter 4 Summary

Orlando buys women's clothes with the few guineas she has left over and sets sail to England. Immediately her new female status proves beneficial, with the captain of the ship giving her her own awning to stretch out on. The captain takes a liking to her and invites her to join him at the captain's table. For the first time she discovers the delights of being a woman and she becomes emotional when the captain cuts her a slice of meat. Later, on deck, she almost sends a sailor hurtling overboard when she thoughtlessly displays a bit of ankle. She thinks the sailor's reaction absurd, but is beginning to understand the power women hold over men.

The captain further enhances her womanhood by inviting Orlando to come ashore with him to Italy. On her return, Woolf says something must have happened because she...