For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined. Did she honestly want to spend the rest of her life with him, setting up home in a bathing machine, and living on what she could catch in a shrimp net? She pulled a face, stood up, brushed her frock. She was only eight, she told herself. As Jessie Fowler had pointed out this afternoon, a girl of eight needn't say yes to the first man who says he loves his love with a D. 'Panic about spinsterhood when you are ten and a half', said the worldly Jessie. 'But really, not before'.
In this excerpt, the protagonist reflects on her relationship with Mr. Dodgson, questioning whether he is truly the charming companion she once thought him to be. She considers the future and what it would mean to settle down with him in a simple living situation, catching food in a shrimp net. This moment of doubt prompts her to reassess her feelings and desires.
Despite being only eight years old, she grapples with the societal pressure to accept romantic advances. The influence of her friend Jessie Fowler reminds her that there’s no rush to make such a significant decision at her young age. Jessie’s advice serves as a reminder that concerns about growing up, including the idea of spinsterhood, can wait until later.
