Summary

In Chapter XIV, Mrs. Pounds discovers letters from the painter Mr. Johnson in Drusilla’s desk. She confronts Winifred about them, asking her why she did not put a stop to the liaison. In the narration, Winifred recalls that her mother kept letters from her father which she hid from The Reverend, claiming, “Her father is the devil, these letters are my only proof” (81). Mrs. Pounds throws the letters from Mr. Johnson into the fire and makes Drusilla watch them burn. Winifred wonders if Drusilla is pregnant and, if so, whether she will be asked to dispose of the baby, as she was at a previous employer Mrs. De Spere, who suggested Winifred should throw her daughter’s illegitimate baby into the fire. Her daughter denounced her in court. She was sentenced to twenty years in prison, although neither of them...