Summary

Jeffrey arrives for soccer practice as usual the next morning, and they are all acutely aware that everything has changed. The Penderwick’s time at Arundel Hall is already more than half over and soon they’ll be heading back to Cameron.

Mrs. Tifton seems to be everywhere at once as she prepares for the upcoming Garden Club competition, obsessed with winning and pushing Cagney to the brink of his patience. She seems to show up wherever the children are; complaining that whatever they are doing is a problem. For Batty it is the worst. The other girls hate Mrs. Tifton, but Batty is also afraid of her, telling Hound at night that when Mrs. Tifton walks by, flowers die. Usually, she is able to hide in time, but one day Mrs. Tifton catches Batty alone and the event is...