Chapter 21 Summary

Her Chrism of Womanhood. With the blessing of Mother and Grandmother, who hope that she's finally outgrowing Sylvia (see "Quotes", p. 20), Marigold makes friends with Budge (real name: Sidney Guest) who moves, with his family, onto the farm next door. Narration describes how he and Marigold find a lot in common, but that Budge suspects there's something that Marigold isn't telling him. Narration reveals that Marigold refuses to tell him anything about Sylvia, even though she's starting to feel that Sylvia is less important and less real. Aunt Marigold advises Marigold to stay connected with Sylvia as long as she can (see "Quotes", p. 323), and Marigold continues to visit her, but more and more of her time and heart are taken up with Budge.

A boy named Tad, of the same age as Budge, moves onto another nearby farm and, as the two...