Chapter 7 Summary

The governess found Mrs. Grose, threw herself into the woman's arms and cried out her new discovery. The children knew what she and Mrs. Grose knew, and probably more. She had deduced from Flora's sudden change in activity that the girl saw the presence across the lake and had chosen to protect her governess by pretending that she did not see it. Furthermore, the presence across the lake was not Quint, but a woman. Demonstrating to Mrs. Grose that she had thought over the matter, she told her that she believed it was Miss Jessel.

Mrs. Grose wanted to know how the governess could be so sure, and she replied that she should ask Flora. She quickly retracted this statement with the recognition that Flora would simply lie. She recognized the complexity they faced, and stated that she feared what she did not...