Summary

In “The Fourth Notebook,” since seeing Miss Kepler, the narrator felt haunted by thoughts of suicide. Suddenly she was forced to consider “the details . . . of Veronica’s death” (191). Prior to her death, Veronica had come “home from Cambridge for reasons” she did not reveal (191). Though there was no animosity between them, the sisters had “never been intimate” (192). The narrator envied Veronica’s intelligent, logical mind. Her suicide, therefore, was a surprise. The narrator remembered the night of her death. Although shameful, the narrator’s immediate response was relief. She would no longer have to compete with Veronica for their “father’s affections” (197). Then one night, the narrator was overcome by the reality of Veronica’s absence.

On her fourth visit to Braithwaite’s, the narrator asked Daisy if she remembered Veronica. Daisy insisted she could not divulge information about...