Picnic at Hanging Rock: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

In the days after Irma is found, local papers are emblazoned with the headline “GIRL’S BODY ON ROCK – MISSING HEIRESS FOUND.” Irma, however, is still unconscious, and Michael is hardly well enough to be questioned—in the absence of new information, gossip and rumors proliferate through the towns neighboring Lake View and Appleyard College. The search for the other three victims continues and even intensifies in the wake of the discovery of Irma.

Mrs. Appleyard “briefly and formally” tells the students at her college that Irma has been found on Monday morning just before the start of classes—the girls are hysterically happy, but as the day goes by and classes get underway, the students and teachers alike refrain from discussing the news further.

The next day, Mrs. Appleyard begins making some changes around the college. She decides that a “mild relaxation of discipline” is the best course of action. She paints the boarders’ sitting-room pink, brings a grand piano into the house, festoons the house with flowers, and invites a local reverend and his wife for a visit. Mrs. Appleyard is determined to present “the perfect picture of a fashionable boarding school at the height of [its] prosperity.” Even as Mrs. Appleyard tries to present a front of normalcy, however, the girls are made to feel like a “spectacle” on any public outings, subjected to the points and stares of their neighbors. Aware that her methods aren’t working, Mrs. Appleyard tightens her reins once again, disciplining the girls harder than ever before.

Other developments at the college have upset Mrs. Appleyard—Mademoiselle (the last remaining “social asset on the staff”) has tendered her resignation on account of her impending marriage, and letters pour in every day from concerned parents who are pulling their girls out of school. Worst of all, Irma’s father has written a curt telegram declaring that his daughter is “UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES” permitted to return to Appleyard College again. The headmistress knows that Irma—an heiress who will soon be worth half a million dollars—is a devastating loss for her school’s reputation.

On top of it all, many boarders have fallen behind on fees due to their parents’ hesitation to pay tuition. One of these students is Sara Waybourne. One morning, Mrs. Appleyard summons Sara to her office and tells her that her guardian hasn’t paid her tuition. She asks when Sara’s last letter from the man came, and Sara says it was around Christmas, when he asked permission for Sara to stay at school over the holidays. Mrs. Appleyard says she remembers the “inconvenient” request. Mrs. Appleyard tells Sara that because there’s no money for supplies, she won’t be permitted to continue in art classes—and if payment isn’t received soon, Mrs. Appleyard will look into “other arrangements” for Sara’s education.

Elsewhere at the college, the visiting art teacher Mrs. Valange arrives for her classes. She makes small talk with Tom, who tells her that he and Minnie are getting married—they’re giving Mrs. Appleyard notice of their departure at Easter. Neither of them, he says, enjoy working at the college anymore. Mrs. Valange says she knows what he means—in Melbourne, people are saying “horrible” things about the school. Spotting Sara—her favorite pupil—looking sad, she asks the girl what the matter is. Sara tells Mrs. Valange what Mrs. Appleyard has just said, and Mrs. Valange, incensed, goes straight to Mrs. Appleyard’s office. After the meeting, Mrs. Valange summons Tom to drive her back to the station.

On the drive, Mrs. Valange writes a note to Sara and tucks it into an envelope. She gives Tom a little money to deliver it, and Tom obliges—he likes both Sara and Mrs. Valange. The next morning, however, Tom is distracted by an errand, and forgets about the letter entirely. He doesn’t come across it until weeks later—he and Minnie read it aloud and find that in it, Mrs. Valange offered Sara to come live with her in Melbourne should her guardian not come to collect her by Good Friday.

The other girls blame Sara for Mrs. Valange’s departure after hearing rumors that the row between the art teacher and the headmistress was over Sara’s treatment. Sara becomes sad and withdrawn. Her glumness both irritates and disturbs one of the governesses, Miss Lumley, who writes to her brother Reg expressing her desire to leave the school and take up another position.

Sara spends much of her time alone in the room she once shared with Miranda. None of Miranda’s things have been moved since her disappearance—everything has been left in its right place. Sara misses Miranda and wishes she would come back. As Sara lies awake in the dark that night, unable to sleep, she can hear possums squealing and grunting “obscenely” on the roof.