The Turn of the Screw, Chapter 10 summary
Chapter 10 of 25 · 7 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 10, the governess questions Flora about her nighttime watching, continues her own patrols, and sees a grieving woman disappear on the stairs. When Flora watches outside again, the governess seeks another viewpoint and discovers Miles on the lawn, apparently looking toward someone above her on the tower.
What happens
- Finding Flora’s bed empty, the governess panics until Flora emerges from behind the window blind and asks where she has been.
- Flora denies seeing anyone outside and says she arranges the bed curtains to avoid frightening the governess.
- During repeated nighttime patrols, the governess sees a woman seated in grief on the stairs, but the figure vanishes.
- On the eleventh night, the governess wakes around one and finds Flora watching outside again, with the candle extinguished.
- Convinced Flora watches an apparition, the governess leaves quietly, considers entering her brother’s room, and chooses an unused tower bedroom instead.
- From its window, she recognizes Miles standing on the lawn and apparently looking toward another person higher on the tower.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Flora explains the misleading bed curtains as an act of care. Her answer reverses their roles, making the adult’s fear rather than the child’s behavior the immediate concern.
Quick check
Whom does the governess recognize on the lawn from the tower bedroom?
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