The Handmaid's Tale, #2
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Contents
60
Overview
Aunt Lydia warns that Commander Judd has identified Nicole as Baby Nicole and plans to marry her publicly. She accelerates the escape: Agnes and Nicole must leave at dawn as Pearl Girls, with a covert route and passwords, and a staged elopement note.
Becka agrees to hide for forty-eight hours to cover their absence, even contemplating the emptied roof cistern. Lydia hints at a possible reunion with the girls’ mother if the mission succeeds, raising both stakes and hope.
Summary
Aunt Lydia interrupts Agnes and Becka’s evening prayers, breathless with urgency: Commander Judd has raided the printing press and discovered that Jade is Baby Nicole. Judd intends to marry Nicole on state television to bolster his prestige. Nicole protests; Becka and Agnes grasp the lethal implications.
Aunt Lydia orders Agnes and Nicole to depart the next morning, abandoning the original schedule. She promises to deliver Pearl Girl gear, money, IDs, passes, tickets, and a new route that avoids a diplomatic plane Judd could block. Becka must remain hidden for forty-eight hours to delay discovery.
To misdirect the search, Becka suggests staging Nicole’s escape over the Wall. Lydia instructs Nicole to leave a note claiming she is unsuited to be an Aunt and has eloped with an Economan promising marriage and children. Nicole agrees. Lydia warns that Aunt Vidala may intercept them near Lydia’s statue and pointedly tells Nicole to use her strength if necessary.
That night Lydia returns with dresses, pearls, hats, silver backpacks, brochures, tokens, Canadian cash, credit cards, passes, and bus tickets. She outlines the plan: a 6:30 a.m. departure via a black car to Portsmouth, then a bus to a marked stop; passwords are “May day” and “June moon.” She adds that success may reveal Nicole’s parents’ killers and could lead to reunion with their mother.
After Lydia leaves, Nicole writes the elopement note and masks her fear with bravado. Agnes and Becka discuss hiding options; Becka resolves to drain and conceal herself in the roof cistern to cover their absence. They acknowledge the risks, rule out Becka accompanying them, and share an emotional farewell, pledging prayers and sisterly love as they brace for dawn.
Who Appears
- Aunt LydiaArchitect of the escape; warns of Judd’s plan, supplies gear, route, and orders decisive action against Vidala.
- Agnes (Aunt Victoria)Narrator; prepares to flee with Nicole as Pearl Girls and accepts the perilous mission.
- Nicole (Jade/Baby Nicole)Targeted by Judd for marriage; writes a fake elopement note and readies for a covert dawn escape.
- Becka (Aunt Immortelle)Covers the escape by hiding forty-eight hours; proposes the elopement ruse and cistern concealment.
- Commander JuddDiscovers Nicole’s identity after the raid and seeks a televised marriage to boost his prestige.
- Aunt VidalaLikely early-morning obstacle; may try to stop the disguised Pearl Girls near Lydia’s statue.