The sun sat high up in the sky and the day was still exceptionally warm for usual at this hour of the afternoon, when the governess invited me out for a walk. Miles had declined, preferring to stay alone indoors, reading another one of his books. We walked for a good half of an hour, seeking for a nice shady spot for the governess to sit and complete some work. I noticed her watching, admiring me as we walked but I did not wish to break the beauty and the peacefulness of the moment by catching her out for staring. .
We settled on a shady spot, next to the bank of a lake, under the protection of several large trees, oak and willow trees I believe. .
"What's this lake called?" She asked me. We had lately begun learning all about geography, particularly local.
"The Sea of Azof." I answered to receive a nod of approval from the governess.
She continued to deliver questions, ranging from geography to history to spelling and spoken English, for a few minutes before getting bored and deciding to find a place to sit. I wandered off to find a nice place on the ground, in a cushion of grass, to sit and play, no more than 10 yards from the governess. The governess sat upon a bench, made of stone and concrete, overlooking the pond. I looked out over the clarity of the pond, unharmed by the modern pollutions of the steam trains and cars, I could still see the bottom for as far as I could see. I found a piece of considerable sized bark and pictured myself sitting on it, floating across the pond, to far off lands where I could play for hours and hours and never have to sleep or wash up again. I could escape the craziness of Bly and all of the strange happenings that occur here. Escape all of the strange people that were supposed to be gone far away, but still come back to haunt my every day life.
I felt a chill down my spine that brought me out of my daydream; I looked back towards the governess.