Summary
Valancy's brave attempt to take control of her health hits an unexpected snag when Dr. Trent abandons their appointment mid-examination to rush to his injured son's side. What should have been her moment of courage and self-advocacy becomes another humiliation, leaving her feeling foolish and insignificant. The doctor's housekeeper explains the emergency, but Valancy still walks away deflated, her heroic gesture reduced to nothing. Her walk home through Lover's Lane deepens her misery as she encounters happy couples and fashionable young women, highlighting everything missing from her own life. She envies their pink dresses, their flowers, their romantic moments—all the experiences that have passed her by. Even the disreputable Barney Snaith, the town's notorious outlaw, seems happier than she is as he cheerfully tinkers with his battered car. His carefree attitude makes Valancy realize that respectability hasn't brought her happiness, while this social outcast radiates joy. Back home, she faces the usual evening routine of darning, gossip about family weddings, and subtle digs about being an old maid. Her mother's disapproval extends even to how she sneezes, and the day ends with Valancy rubbing liniment on Cousin Stickles' back, her fingers reeking of the medicinal smell she despises. What began as her 'day of destiny'—her attempt to break free from family control and face her health concerns—ends exactly as it started: in tears, feeling trapped and invisible.
Coming Up in Chapter 7
Valancy's interrupted medical appointment leaves crucial questions unanswered about her health. But sometimes the most important revelations come when we least expect them, and Dr. Trent may have more to tell her than she realizes.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The ordeal was not so dreadful, after all. Dr. Trent was as gruff and abrupt as usual, but he did not tell her her ailment was imaginary. After he had listened to her symptoms and asked a few questions and made a quick examination, he sat for a moment looking at her quite intently. Valancy thought he looked as if he were sorry for her. She caught her breath for a moment. Was the trouble serious? Oh, it couldn’t be, surely—it really hadn’t bothered her _much_—only lately it had got a little worse. Dr. Trent opened his mouth—but before he could speak the telephone at his elbow rang sharply. He picked up the receiver. Valancy, watching him, saw his face change suddenly as he listened, “’Lo—yes—yes—_what_?—yes—yes”—a brief interval—“My God!” Dr. Trent dropped the receiver, dashed out of the room and upstairs without even a glance at Valancy. She heard him rushing madly about overhead, barking out a few remarks to somebody—presumably his housekeeper. Then he came tearing downstairs with a club bag in his hand, snatched his hat and coat from the rack, jerked open the street door and rushed down the street in the direction of the station. Valancy sat alone in the little office, feeling more absolutely foolish than she had ever felt before in her life. Foolish—and humiliated. So this was all that had come of her heroic determination to live up to John Foster and cast fear aside. Not only was she a failure as a relative and non-existent as a sweetheart or friend, but she was not even of any importance as a patient. Dr. Trent had forgotten her very presence in his excitement over whatever message had come by the telephone. She had gained nothing by ignoring Uncle James and flying in the face of family tradition. For a moment she was afraid she was going to cry. It _was_ all so—ridiculous. Then she heard Dr. Trent’s housekeeper coming down the stairs. Valancy rose and went to the office door. “The doctor forgot all about me,” she said with a twisted smile. “Well, that’s too bad,” said Mrs. Patterson sympathetically. “But it wasn’t much wonder, poor man. That was a telegram they ’phoned over from the Port. His son has been terribly injured in an auto accident in Montreal. The doctor had just ten minutes to catch the train. I don’t know what he’ll do if anything happens to Ned—he’s just bound up in the boy. You’ll have to come again, Miss Stirling. I hope it’s nothing serious.” “Oh, no, nothing serious,” agreed Valancy. She felt a little less humiliated. It was no wonder poor Dr. Trent had forgotten her at such a moment. Nevertheless, she felt very flat and discouraged as she went down the street. Valancy went home by the short-cut of Lover’s Lane. She did not often go through Lover’s Lane—but it was getting near supper-time and it would never do to be late. Lover’s Lane wound back of the village,...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Interrupted Courage
When external disruptions derail our moments of personal bravery, we often retreat more deeply than if we'd never tried at all.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to separate your actions from outcomes beyond your control, preventing external disruptions from destroying internal progress.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when setbacks are actually interrupted momentum rather than personal failure—then ask yourself what you can control moving forward.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Housekeeper
A live-in domestic worker who managed a household, common in middle-class homes of the 1920s. They handled cooking, cleaning, and often served as informal receptionists for professional men like doctors.
Modern Usage:
Today we see this role split between cleaning services, office managers, and personal assistants who keep busy professionals organized.
Club bag
A small leather travel bag used for quick trips, named after gentleman's clubs. It was the 1920s version of an overnight bag, designed to hold essentials for a short journey.
Modern Usage:
This is basically a weekend duffel bag or carry-on suitcase that someone grabs for an emergency trip.
Lover's Lane
A secluded road or path where young couples would go for privacy and romance, away from watchful family eyes. These were common meeting spots in small towns before cars became widespread.
Modern Usage:
Today's equivalent would be parking spots at scenic overlooks, quiet coffee shops, or any place couples go for privacy away from family.
Old maid
A cruel term for unmarried women past their twenties, suggesting they were unwanted and would never marry. It carried deep social shame and implied personal failure in a woman's 'duty' to marry.
Modern Usage:
We still see this judgment today when people ask single women 'Why aren't you married yet?' or assume something's wrong with women who choose to stay single.
Liniment
A medicinal liquid rubbed on skin to relieve muscle aches and pains, usually with a strong, unpleasant smell. It was a common home remedy before modern pain relievers.
Modern Usage:
Today's version would be products like Ben-Gay, Icy Hot, or Tiger Balm that people rub on sore muscles.
Respectability
Following all the social rules and moral expectations of your community to maintain a good reputation. In the 1920s, this meant proper behavior, church attendance, and avoiding scandal at all costs.
Modern Usage:
We still see this pressure to 'look good' on social media, maintain perfect family images, or follow community expectations even when it makes us miserable.
Characters in This Chapter
Dr. Trent
Family doctor
He's examining Valancy when an emergency call about his injured son forces him to abandon the appointment. His abrupt departure leaves Valancy feeling foolish and unimportant, reinforcing her sense of invisibility.
Modern Equivalent:
The busy doctor who gets called away for emergencies, leaving you sitting in the exam room wondering what just happened
Barney Snaith
Town outcast
He appears briefly working on his car, but his cheerful demeanor contrasts sharply with Valancy's misery. Despite being the town's 'bad boy,' he seems genuinely happy, making Valancy question whether respectability brings joy.
Modern Equivalent:
The guy with tattoos and a motorcycle who everyone's parents warn against, but who seems more genuinely happy than the 'good' people
Mrs. Stirling
Valancy's mother
She continues her pattern of criticism and control, disapproving of everything from how Valancy sneezes to her general demeanor. Her constant negativity reinforces Valancy's sense of failure and inadequacy.
Modern Equivalent:
The parent who finds fault with everything you do and makes you feel like you can never measure up to their expectations
Cousin Stickles
Family dependent
Valancy must rub liniment on her back, a task that leaves Valancy's hands smelling terrible. This represents the endless, thankless duties that fill Valancy's life and keep her trapped in servitude.
Modern Equivalent:
The elderly relative who needs constant care and makes demands that nobody else in the family wants to handle
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Valancy sat alone in the little office, feeling more absolutely foolish than she had ever felt before in her life."
Context: After Dr. Trent rushes out to help his injured son, leaving Valancy mid-examination
This moment captures how Valancy's attempt at courage backfires spectacularly. What should have been her brave step toward independence becomes another humiliation, reinforcing her feeling of being insignificant and overlooked.
In Today's Words:
She felt like a complete idiot sitting there, more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life.
"So this was all that had come of her heroic determination to live up to John Foster and cast fear aside."
Context: Valancy reflecting on how her brave decision to see the doctor ended in disappointment
This shows how life often doesn't cooperate with our moments of courage. Valancy tried to change her pattern of fearfulness, but circumstances beyond her control made her feel foolish instead of empowered.
In Today's Words:
So much for her big plan to be brave and take charge of her life.
"Even Barney Snaith looked happy—and he was a social outcast if ever there was one."
Context: Valancy observing Barney working on his car during her walk home
This observation forces Valancy to confront a painful truth: following all the rules and being 'respectable' hasn't made her happy, while someone society rejects seems genuinely content. It challenges everything she's been taught about how to live.
In Today's Words:
Even the town bad boy looked happier than her, and everyone thought he was a total loser.
Thematic Threads
Agency
In This Chapter
Valancy's attempt to take control of her health gets derailed by circumstances beyond her control, leaving her feeling more powerless than before
Development
Evolution from passive acceptance to attempted action, now back to defeated passivity
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your attempts to change your situation get interrupted by other people's emergencies or priorities.
Social Comparison
In This Chapter
Walking through Lover's Lane, Valancy compares herself to happy couples and fashionable young women, cataloguing everything she lacks
Development
Deepening from earlier chapters - now she's not just aware of her differences but actively tormented by them
In Your Life:
You might see this when scrolling social media or walking through places where others seem to have the life you want.
Respectability
In This Chapter
Valancy realizes that following all the rules of respectability hasn't brought her happiness, while the disreputable Barney Snaith radiates joy
Development
First major crack in her belief system - questioning whether being 'good' is worth it
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you realize that playing by all the rules hasn't gotten you the life you were promised.
Invisible Labor
In This Chapter
Her day ends rubbing liniment on Cousin Stickles' back, her hands reeking of the medicinal smell she despises
Development
Continuing pattern of Valancy's needs being secondary to everyone else's comfort and care
In Your Life:
You might see this in always being the one who takes care of others while your own needs go unmet.
Timing
In This Chapter
What was supposed to be her 'day of destiny' gets derailed by bad timing and external circumstances
Development
Introduced here - the cruel role of timing in personal transformation
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your attempts at change keep getting interrupted by other people's crises or poor timing.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What derailed Valancy's appointment with Dr. Trent, and how did she react to this interruption?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did the doctor's emergency feel like a personal rejection to Valancy, even though it had nothing to do with her?
analysis • medium - 3
When have you worked up courage to do something important, only to have it interrupted by circumstances beyond your control? How did that feel?
application • medium - 4
How could Valancy have preserved her sense of agency and courage despite the appointment being cut short?
application • deep - 5
What does Valancy's reaction to seeing Barney Snaith's happiness reveal about the relationship between respectability and joy?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Build Your Courage Backup Plan
Think of something you've been putting off that requires courage—a difficult conversation, a health appointment, applying for something better. Write down your main plan, then create two backup approaches for when life interrupts your first attempt. Consider what you'd do if your boss gets called away mid-conversation, if your appointment gets cancelled, or if your timing gets derailed.
Consider:
- •Interrupted courage is still courage—the attempt matters even when circumstances interfere
- •External disruptions are data about timing and circumstances, not about your worth or the validity of your goals
- •Having multiple approaches prevents one setback from derailing your entire effort
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you let one interrupted attempt convince you to give up entirely. What would you tell that version of yourself now about building renewable courage rather than treating it as a one-time resource?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 7: The Letter That Changes Everything
The coming pages reveal devastating news can paradoxically create freedom from old constraints, and teach us small acts of rebellion often precede major life changes. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.