The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
Contributed by Cinderella Domino
Chapter 2
Summary

Two days later she and Flora will drive out to meet Miles, who is returning by coach from school for the holidays. The night before the trip, she receives a letter from her employer, who has enclosed an unopened letter from Miles’ headmaster and who reiterates that he does not wish to be troubled with any details. The headmaster’s letter states that Miles has been expelled from the school. The governess tries to show it Mrs. Grose, who cannot read, then, embarrassed at her mistake, reads the letter out loud. Flora walks in and both the governess and Mrs. Grose agree that Miles is incapable of real badness, just as Flora is-at that moment Flora looks incredibly innocent, affectionate, and young.

Later in the day the governess finds Mrs. Grose and asks if she’s ever known Miles to be bad. Mrs. Grose answers that he’s only been naughty, like any boy of spirit. She also asks about the previous governess. Mrs. Grose says she was young and pretty, and after much pressing admits that she went off for the holidays and died while she was gone. Mrs. Grose doesn’t admit to knowing what she died of, saying at one point that she "doesn’t like to tell tales," and speaks in a very evasive and ambiguous way.

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