Summary

In Chapter 16, Mike was surprised to meet his mother while walking through the woods one day. She told him that he had left his proper station in life—a move that no good would come from. When he invited her to the house to meet Ellie, she informed him she had already met her—that the girl had come to visit her. Ellie had thought that Mike did not want the two to meet because he was ashamed of his mother but his mother told her he was afraid of her because she knew too much about him. Mike was angry to learn that Ellie had kept her meeting with his mother a secret from him. Inside the house, Mike’s mother looked sharply at Greta, and Greta seemed afraid of her.

After Mike’s mother left, Mike accused Ellie of being...