When Nora’s father, Mr. Townsend, returns home and sees Nora climbing a tree in their front yard, he jokes that he used to have a young girl who wasn’t nearly as tall as Nora. The two reunite and go inside, where Mr. Townsend speaks with Edie, a domestic helper who says the family has missed him. Mr. Townsend asks where Margaret, his other daughter, is, and Nora says she is at their neighbor’s house. Edie leaves Nora and her father alone, and Mr. Townsend asks her to catch him up on everything she’s been doing. Nora tells him about watching television at their neighbor’s house and polishing orange trees for another neighbor. Nora’s mother then returns and sends Nora off to get her sister. As Nora leaves, she hears her mother say that she is worried about Nora, and Nora becomes upset, knowing that her mother will tell her father about having walked in to see Jimmy and Mac exposing themselves to her because she agreed when they asked if she wanted to see.  After Nora returns with Margaret, the family has dinner and the doorbell rings. Margaret answers the door and tells whoever is there that Nora isn’t allowed to play with them anymore. Margaret returns to the table and slips as she tries to sit back down, which makes Nora burst into laughter.  The next day, Nora and Margaret go to the beach with their father, and their mother warns him to keep an eye on Nora, especially if there are young boys around. The three of them have fun, but after returning home, Nora runs into Jimmy, who calls her mother a snake for telling on him to his mother. They begin to shove each other and fight, and Nora’s mother sees them, slaps Nora, and tells her to button up her shirt. Mr. Townsend stops her from doing anything more.  In the morning, Nora wakes up to see a note from her father that says he must leave again. He also left her a gift, a lace handkerchief. Nora goes outside with her beebee gun, climbs into her tree, and waits.