Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Confined to hospital, teenage Elsie endures intense loneliness and clings to Anne of Green Gables, vowing to find a “bosom friend.” Her mother reveals Elsie’s father is traveling to London with Susan McGinty. When Elsie admits witnessing their affair, her mother strikes her and leaps from the hospital balcony, shocking Elsie and escalating family tragedy.
Summary
Elsie recuperates in a drab hospital room, spending hours watching the park below and aching for connection. Visits from Cess and Ness bring books and sweets, while her mother attends daily, smoking and drinking; her father never comes. To soothe her isolation, Elsie rereads Anne of Green Gables and vows to find a “bosom friend.”
One morning, Elsie’s mother arrives disheveled and distraught, explaining that Elsie’s father is leaving for London. She then reveals he is not traveling alone but with Susan McGinty, the woman who once spoke about Kitty at a party.
Pressed by her mother, Elsie confesses she saw her father and Susan together at Rosehill, describing their intimate encounter. Her mother reacts with fury and fear, striking Elsie across the face.
Without another word, Elsie’s mother rushes to the fire-escape “balcony,” vaults the railing, and disappears. The chapter ends with Elsie stunned, the outcome of her mother’s leap unknown.
Who Appears
- Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick (Mabel)Teen narrator; isolated in hospital, clings to Anne of Green Gables, reveals father’s affair to her mother.
- Elsie’s motherDisheveled, drinking and smoking; reveals husband’s London trip with Susan, slaps Elsie, then jumps from the balcony.
- Elsie’s fatherAbsent from hospital; planning London trip with Susan McGinty, implying an affair.
- Susan McGintyFather’s companion on the London trip; previously seen in an intimate moment with him.
- Cess and NessFriends who visit with books and sweets; their closeness deepens Elsie’s longing for a ‘bosom friend.’
- Hospital nurseKind nurse who positions Elsie’s bed at the window, easing her boredom.