Part 1: Chapter 11 Summary

Summer arrives, and Jo and Meg have some time off from their jobs. They are ready for a break and decide to sleep in, read and enjoy themselves. Amy and Beth beg for time off from their studies. Mrs. March agrees to a one-week experiment during which the girls may skip their chores and do as they please. The days seem unusually long and the sisters find they are short-tempered with each other. Though the house is messy and the canary has died from neglect, the girls insist to Marmee that the experiment is going well.

At the end of the week, Mrs. March gives Hannah the day off and decides to take a vacation day herself. When the girls wake up, there is no breakfast. Meg and Jo make a breakfast that consists of scorched eggs and bitter tea. Despite...