The Mill on the Floss Book 6, Chapter 3 Summary

Confidential Moments

  • That night Maggie is having trouble getting ready for bed. She is too excited to sleep.
  • She heard some great music that night and her encounters with Stephen are leaving her on edge.
  • The narrator explains how important music is for Maggie and how she hasn’t had much of it in her life for the past two years. She’s basically like a starving person who has gotten dropped off at an all-you-can-eat buffet now.
  • Lucy comes in and they girls talk a bit.
  • They discuss music and Lucy asks for Maggie’s opinion of Stephen.
  • Maggie says that she likes Stephen find and encourages Lucy to tease him more often since he is a bit full of it.
  • Maggie then explains the story with Philip to Lucy. She feels unburdened.
  • Lucy finds the whole story really tragic and romantic – she’s convinced that Philip and Maggie are star-crossed lovers now and tells Maggie that she’ll help her out.
  • Lucy wants Maggie to marry Philip and spend all her time with Lucy and Stephen. They can all double date and play the piano together and sing songs.
  • Maggie shivers suddenly. Lucy assumes she’s cold and leaves her to go to sleep.
  • The narrator hints that Lucy is going to be guided by her assumptions regarding Maggie and Philip as soulmates in the future.
  • This is also one of many hints we’ve gotten that Maggie isn’t quite sure about her relationship with Philip.