A Popular Schoolgirl · Chapter
X: The Whispering Stones explained
The Saxon family struggles with their reduced circumstances at Wynch-on-the-Wold.
What happens
The Saxon family struggles with their reduced circumstances at Wynch-on-the-Wold. Mr. Saxon is moody and fretful over business and social decline; Egbert resents not going to Cambridge; Athelstane is disappointed with his provincial medical studies; Quenrede misses school and finds life dull; Ingred and Hereward also grumble. Mrs. Saxon keeps the household cheerful with her optimism and love of nature. The four younger Saxons take a day's walk to Red Ridge, where they explore prehistoric menhirs and a chambered barrow, and Ingred shares local legends about the whispering stones.
Themes in this chapter
Resilience in Adversity
Mrs. Saxon's cheerful optimism and the family's efforts to find joy in nature and walks despite their reduced circumstances.
Personal Growth and Self-Control
Quenrede's struggle to find her identity after school; Athelstane's attempt to focus on studies amid distractions.
Community and Belonging
The family's sense of isolation after losing their social position; the bond among the siblings during the moor walk.
Characters to notice
- Ingred Saxon
Voices the family's missing of Mother; primes herself with local lore and encourages Quenrede to try the whispering stones ritual.
- Quenrede Saxon
Feels life is slow and tame after leaving school; organizes the moor walk and shows sisterly firmness in persuading Athelstane to join.
- Athelstane
Disappointed with his provincial medical degree; struggles to study at home due to noise; eventually joins the walk.
- Hereward
Eager to photograph the stones; teases his sisters about the legends.
- Mrs. Saxon
The cheerful center of the household; finds solace in nature and keeps the family's spirits up despite hardships.
- Mr. Saxon
Proud and sensitive; feels humiliated by the family's reduced social and financial status; becomes moody and faultfinding.
Key passages
“Most of us can make a plucky fight against fate at first—there had been something rather romantic about retiring to the bungalow—but the plain prose of the proceeding was yet to come, and there were certainly many disadvantages to be faced.”
Initially, the family felt adventurous about moving to the bungalow, but soon the harsh realities of their new life became apparent.
Highlights the transition from romanticized struggle to everyday hardship.
“Kind Mother Nature could always soothe her spirits, and send her back with fresh courage for the day's work.”
Mrs. Saxon found comfort and renewed strength in the natural landscape.
Emphasizes Mrs. Saxon's reliance on nature for emotional resilience.
“The old gray stones stood in a circle on the top of the hill, from whence they had possibly seen four thousand summers and winters pass by.”
The ancient stone circle had stood on the hilltop for perhaps four thousand years.
Sets the scene for the prehistoric monument and its legendary associations.