Summary

In Chapter 10, on March 14, 1885, Geneviève walks to Montmartre to see Jeanne, a former Salpêtrière patient. Since the incident with her father, Geneviève is eager to talk to someone who understands. Her recent experiences have made her doubt the hospital. Witnessing what the doctors did to Louise has also complicated her regard for the Salpêtrière.

In the dormitory, having noticed Louise’s altered state, Eugénie comforts her by singing “a nursery rhyme” her mother “used to sing” to her (167). She does not tell Louise, but her mother’s ghost communicated the song to Eugénie. Afterwards, Geneviève tells Eugénie she saw what she did for Louise and was moved by it. To avoid raising the other nurses’ suspicions, Geneviève tells Eugénie to make the beds while they talk. She tells Eugénie...