Chapters 3-4 Summary and Analysis

Jessica discusses how monotonous life was during her childhood. The family occasionally goes to their London home or her mother's home at High Wycombe. Both of Jessica's parents were from large families and they had relatives all over England. Jessica considers most of the married aunts to be rather stuffy, and the Maiden Aunt lives on a subsistence allowance in a London flat. Jessica and the others are very curious about why she never married.

The relative living nearest to them is Uncle Tommy, who is a magistrate for a police court. He would tell the children stories about his days at sea. Her mother's relatives have an entirely different nature than those of her father. They, like her Uncle Geoff, are of more an intellectual nature. Jessica finds her uncles boring.

Jessica makes it clear that she wants...