Eight Cousins

While Rose is laid up on the couch recovering from her ankle sprain, she is visited by Ariadne Blish, a young woman Rose dislikes. Ariadne secretly feels similarly, thinking that Rose is snobbish, but is pushed by her mother to visit owing to the respectability of the Campbell family and their status in society. Rose uses the opportunity to boast of her superior talent in French, which incites Ariadne to get even by showing off her new earrings. This sparks Rose’s jealousy, for “the desire of her girlish soul was to have her ears bored” (226). Ariadne peer pressures Rose into allowing Ariadne to pierce her ears, against Rose’s better judgment.

Later at dinner, Rose shames Pokey through a theatrical moral tale meant to entertain the boys, exposing that Pokey stole a bread roll from a basket and causing her to cry. In revenge for Pokey, Jamie reveals his knowledge of Rose’s secretly pierced ears to everyone, disappointing Uncle Alec and Mac, who had foolishly hoped Rose to be above “the weakness of her sex for jewelry” (237). Nevertheless, her uncle forgives the abashed Rose, promising her a set of gold earrings to wear.