Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Summary

Mrs. Todd convinces the young woman to take the short boat trip to a nearby island to visit Mrs. Todd's eighty-six-year-old mother, Mrs. Blackett. Mrs. Todd also needs to pick some pennyroyal and the best in the area grows on the small island where Mrs. Blackett lives with Mrs. Todd's brother, William. As the small boat approaches, the older woman sees that she has visitors and waves wildly. Once the boat docks, Mrs. Blackett is there to greet them and it is clear that mother and daughter have a bond of friendship as well as the expected familial one.

The young woman likes the diminutive Mrs. Blackett immediately and muses that the older woman does not seem much more advanced in age than her daughter. A sprightly walk and positive attitude shine through and it is evident where Mrs. Todd gets...