about how she will afford it. While cleaning her wealthy Aunt Josie's house, Mattie musters the courage to ask for financial assistance for college. Aunt Josie tells her she's selfish, like her brother, for wanting to leave her family and suggests she read the Bible to comprehend God's plans for her. Mattie also shares her college aspirations with Royal, who doesn't understand her desire to pursue higher education. He kisses her, leaving her even more conflicted about her identity and needs. Weaver faces his own identity challenges when a white man at the rail station assumes he is a porter simply because he is black. Minnie gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, with Mattie's help during the delivery. At the Glenmore, Mattie reflects on her promise to burn Grace Brown's letters and the vow she made to her dying mother to stay home and raise her sisters. She questions how binding such promises should be.

Chapters 11-13

Pa's brother, Uncle Fifty, arrives with a bundle of cash from a lumberjacking trip. Weaver and Mattie take their final exams to graduate from high school, and Uncle Fifty is the first person besides their teacher, Miss Wilcox, to show excitement about Mattie's plans to attend Barnard College. He promises to give her the thirty dollars she needs for the journey and to settle in. He gifts her a fountain pen and buys extravagant presents for the other Gokey children. Miss Wilcox approaches Mattie's father to discuss her exam success and the importance of sending her to college. However, Pa blames Miss Wilcox for what he sees as Mattie's inappropriate ambition and warns Mattie that if she leaves for Barnard, she will not be welcome back home. Mr. Eckler reveals that Uncle Fifty has left town. Mattie realizes that her father is the only person she can truly rely on and feels ashamed for wanting to leave him. While reading Grace Brown's letters, Mattie discovers that Grace's boyfriend, Carl Graham, who took her boating and hasn't been seen since, is actually a man named Chester Gillette. She shares this information with the hotel manager, Mr. Morrison. A telegram from Albany confirms that no one by the name of Carl Graham exists.

Chapters 14-16

Aunt Josie intercepts a letter from the postmistress that the tax collector, Arn Satterlee, wrote to Emmie Hubbard. Mattie overhears her aunt gossiping about Emmie's inability to pay back taxes and the upcoming auction of her land. Mattie goes boating with Royal and realizes they are officially dating. She cherishes being in his arms. Others have noticed their relationship and tease and envy Mattie, making her proud to be seen as Royal's girlfriend. Miss Wilcox invites Mattie to her home and offers her books, including one by a feminist poet named Emily Baxter, whom Mattie has heard is indecent. Mattie discovers the poems simply celebrate a woman's independence and does not understand why they are considered controversial. As she continues reading Grace Brown's letters, she realizes that Grace was pregnant.

Chapters 17-19

Mattie spends her Saturdays working for Miss Wilcox, helping to organize her book collection. One day, she arrives to find Miss Wilcox embroiled in an intense argument with a man. Miss Wilcox reveals that the man is her estranged husband, Teddy, who is attempting to pressure her into returning to him. She also confides in Mattie that she is the controversial poet Emily Baxter, whose work Mattie has been reading. Although Mattie is eager to share Miss Wilcox's secret, she chooses to stay true to her teacher.

Meanwhile, Royal approaches Mattie with romantic intentions, insisting that he plans to marry her and even wants to buy her a ring. Mattie is troubled by the fact that Royal has never expressed love for her, but the allure of marriage is strong. She learns from Tommy Hubbard that his mother, Emmie, is distressed because Arn Satterlee has scheduled an auction for her home. When Mattie visits Emmie to offer comfort, she is horrified to find Emmie being assaulted by Royal's father, Frank Loomis. Mattie suspects that Frank is the father of three of Emmie's children. As she reads Grace Brown's letters, Mattie comes to the chilling realization that Chester Gillette likely brought Grace to the Glenmore with the intention of killing her.

Chapters 20-22

After the family mule, Pleasant, dies, Mattie finally receives her father's approval to work at the Glenmore Hotel to save money for a new mule. At the hotel, she learns the ropes as a waitress and gets to know both the staff and guests. One guest, Mr. Maxwell, who sits at table six, behaves inappropriately by exposing himself to Mattie, then leaving her a dollar tip. Embarrassed, she remains silent about the incident, learning that other waitresses have also been harassed by him. Henry, a German under chef, leaves jars of milk on the stove, causing them to explode. It is revealed that Henry fabricated his background and never worked as a chef in a prestigious European restaurant, resulting in his demotion to basic tasks. Weaver faces violence from three trappers after confronting them for using a racial slur. The world outside her home feels perilous to Mattie, making her consider that her future might be with Royal Loomis.

Chapters 23-26

While reading Emily Dickinson, Mattie realizes that the writers she idolizes are all unmarried women. She starts to question whether marriage is compatible with a writing career. Her doubts about her feelings for Royal Loomis intensify after visiting Minnie, who is overwhelmed with her newborn twins. Minnie's struggle is clear from the disorder in her home, and she is both depressed and defensive, openly admitting she despises her own children. When the trappers who assaulted Weaver are caught and brought to justice, Weaver regains his confidence, and Mattie envisions him as a future lawyer. When Mattie's entire family falls severely ill with the flu, she has to leave her job at the hotel for a week to care for them. The family's cows also suffer from neglect, leading to the death of two due to infections. Royal and his mother come to Mattie's aid, making her feel indebted to them, and she begins to see marriage as a potential solution. She agrees to Royal's marriage proposal and accepts the ring he offers, later comparing her feelings for Royal to Grace Brown's misguided affection for Chester Gillette.

Chapters 27-30

Miss Wilcox, also known as Emily Baxter, sends Mattie her new book, Threnody, along with a note containing a five-dollar bill. Her husband has followed through on his threat to reveal her identity, resulting in her losing her teaching position. She plans to escape to Paris before he can retrieve her. Mattie and Weaver borrow a horse so Mattie can visit her teacher before she departs. Mattie informs Miss Wilcox that she will not be attending Barnard College and instead plans to marry Royal, which visibly disappoints Miss Wilcox. Weaver sarcastically suggests that Mattie might as well marry a horse. At the Fourth of July picnic, Mattie notices wives clinging to their husbands' arms and witnesses a quarrel between Royal and his former girlfriend, Martha Miller. Martha confronts Mattie, expressing her suspicion that Royal wants to marry her to gain her father's land, which borders the Loomis property. Mattie also discovers that Royal informed Arn Satterlee about Emmie Hubbard's unpaid taxes, aiming to acquire Emmie's property for himself. Mattie starts to realize that Royal does not truly love her—he has never actually said the words. Weaver urges Mattie to confront the reality of her situation with Royal. Mattie begins having nightmares about Grace Brown.

Chapters 31-33

Mattie and her friends at Glenmore plan to exact revenge on Mr. Maxwell for his inappropriate behavior towards them. One girl entices him to the lake, where the others trip him with a rope, causing him to fall into a pile of dog feces. Embarrassed, Mr. Maxwell retreats to his room. Meanwhile, Pa brings the distressing news that Weaver's mother's house has been set on fire. The same trappers who assaulted Weaver were released from jail, set the fire, broke Mrs. Smith's arm, and stole Weaver's college savings. Emmie Hubbard offers Mrs. Smith a place to stay, intending to help her recover. Weaver decides to abandon his college plans to support his mother in rebuilding her life. Mattie laments the loss of the lawyer Weaver could have become, equating the death of potential to a literal death, similar to what Grace Brown endured. Reading Grace Brown's final letter, Mattie realizes she cannot erase Grace's voice from history. Her duty to truth and justice outweighs her promise to destroy Grace's letters.

Chapters 34-35

Emmie Hubbard transforms after finding companionship with Mrs. Smith. This arrangement benefits both women and suggests the possibility of a genuine happy ending, free from deception. Other positive outcomes arise from their mutual support. Tommy Hubbard now assists Mattie's Pa with farm work, allowing Weaver to attend Columbia University, knowing his mother is cared for. Mattie has saved enough from working for Miss Wilcox and the hotel to fund her journey to New York and aid others in securing their futures. Before leaving for New York, Mattie places Grace Brown's letters on Mr. Morrison's desk along with three of her own: one with money for Pa to purchase a new mule, one to Weaver's mother with funds for Emmie Hubbard's back taxes, and one to Royal Loomis containing the engagement ring. She bids farewell to Grace Brown's remains and gives Weaver the money he needs to travel to New York, urging him to leave while their determination is strong. She then boards the train, heading towards her future in New York City.