A classmate named Agnes Stokes tries to befriend Gilly, but Gilly is withdrawn and surly toward her. Gilly receives a postcard from Courtney and the postcard has her address in San Francisco, California on it. Gilly imagines how happy she would be with Courtney and begins thinking of ways to travel to California. Maime Trotter hears Gilly crying in her room and tries to check on her. Gilly rudely slams the door on her.

At dinner with William Ernest and Mr. Randolph, Maime Trotter mentions that Gilly is a great reader, and Mr. Randolph asks Gilly to read something for them. Maime Trotter says that Mr. Randolph has a huge library, and she sends Gilly to select a book to read from Mr. Randolph’s house next door. As she is searching for a book in Mr. Randolph’s library, she finds ten dollars hidden behind one of the encyclopedia volumes, “Sarsaparilla to Sorcery” (34).

Before she can search for more money, Maime Trotter checks on her. Gilly quickly puts the ten dollars in her pocket. Maime Trotter tells her to bring Mr. Randolph’s poetry book, The Oxford Book of English Verse. Gilly reads a William Wordsworth poem aloud and feels enchanted by “the music of the words” (38) but pretends she doesn’t like the poem.