Chapter 14 Summary

Julia, alone with her mother now that Louis has departed, shakes her head over the sad, strange man. Clarissa asks her daughter for a hug and is rewarded by a smile which transforms Julia into a young lady again. Julia is so serious, thinks Clarissa, so adult; she worries that her mannerisms irritate her daughter as her mother's used to irritate her. She worries about her daughter being friends with Mary Krull, who right at this moment is outside smoking a cigarette. Clarissa, offended, insists that Mary come inside and greet her, then instantly regrets sounding so old fashioned. Dutifully, Julia goes to get Mary, after telling her mother not to be afraid of her friend.

Mary's head, like Julia's, is shaved. She is twice Julia's age and obviously in love with her. Julia apparently only admires Mary for her social causes, belief...