Contents
Chapter 9
Overview
Birdie maps the Tartt household’s habits and class rules, noting clutter, a locked bedroom, and Rory’s warmth toward staff but coolness at home. In town, people react warily to the Tartt name. That night, Birdie asks Frances for a $250 loan; Frances, sensitive about money with Rory, promises to ask him after her birthday and enlists Birdie to help at the orphanage.
Hints of marital strain and Rory’s evasiveness grow, while Birdie decides to stay, tying her fortunes to Frances’s promise.
Summary
At dawn, Birdie wakes overheated in a yellow, curtained guest room, discovers an unused screened sleeping porch, and notices a hallway door with an inside lock. In the empty kitchen she masters the imposing stove, explores the house’s overfilled closets and drawers, and concludes the Tartts hoard decades of things that aren’t Frances’s.
After milking the neglected cow, Birdie cooks herself an omelet and meets maids Picador and Polly, navigating status signals like cups and kitchen space. At breakfast, Frances presses Rory for a birthday trip; Rory refuses for appearance’s sake, proposing a visit to the Calhoun “plantation,” which Birdie deflects. Mrs. Tartt joins; Rory is affectionate toward Picador, outlines his investment work, and declines to drive Frances to the orphanage or meet for lunch, leaving early.
Frances drafts Birdie to assist with the orphanage’s books. In town with Mr. Binny’s taxi, Birdie surveys Oxford’s square, the sluggish economy awaiting college’s return, and strained racial etiquette. Shopkeepers turn cool when she mentions the Tartts. She mails a letter home, donates Frances’s change to the orphanage box, and later spots a Studebaker like Rory’s heading away from town during work hours.
At dinner, the trio eats a rich duck-and-noodle dish while Frances relishes news of a new orphaned baby and hopes for more, citing the home’s numbers and flood origins. After Rory remains late, Birdie visits Frances’s room, teasing over a revealing new garment, and learns Rory sometimes sleeps in his old locked room. Frances needles Birdie about being “content” and childless; Birdie deflects without wounding her.
Birdie finally asks for a $250 loan to keep the family afloat until Daddy’s annuity. Frances hesitates and forbids asking Rory or Mrs. Tartt directly, calling Rory sensitive about money, but promises to raise it—after her birthday. Birdie agrees to stay, planning to help at the orphanage the next morning, and beds down on the breezy sleeping porch, reflecting on loneliness, desire, and her resilience.
Who Appears
- BirdieNarrator; explores the Tartt home, observes class dynamics, visits Oxford, suspects Rory’s evasiveness, and asks Frances for a $250 loan.
- FrancesBirdie’s sister; image-conscious, eager about the orphanage, wants a birthday trip, hesitant about money, promises to ask Rory after her birthday.
- Rory TarttFrances’s husband; banker focused on appearances, declines outings, affectionate with staff, possibly avoids work, sometimes sleeps separately.
- Mrs. Viktoria TarttRory’s mother; cordial, discusses the bank and committees, subtly status-minded, maintains routine and propriety.
- PicadorHousemaid; efficient and direct, close rapport with Rory, enforces household hierarchies, once involved with Mr. Binny.
- PollyMaid; courteous, guides Birdie through household etiquette and service norms.
- Mr. BinnyTaxi driver; transports Birdie and Frances to town; former beau of Picador; gruff but professional.