The Little Girl

• A Figure of Fear: For Kezia, her father is a terrifying figure. She feels a "glad sense of relief" every morning when he leaves for work and dreads his commanding presence when he returns in the evening, demanding his tea, slippers, and newspaper.
• The Struggle to Communicate: Kezia stutters only when speaking to her father. This is because she is so overwhelmed by his presence that she has to "try so hard" to say the words properly, though she speaks normally with everyone else.
• Sunday Afternoon Rituals: Every Sunday, Kezia’s grandmother sends her to the drawing-room to have a "nice talk" with her parents. However, she consistently finds her mother reading and her father sleeping soundly on the sofa, making her feel neglected and like an outsider.
• The Birthday Gift Mistake: Suggesting a way to please her father, Grandmother encourages Kezia to make a yellow silk pin-cushion for his birthday. Seeking stuffing for the cushion, Kezia finds some "fine paper" in her mother’s bedroom, tears it up, and uses it to fill the gift.
• Severe Punishment: The papers Kezia destroyed were her father’s important speech for the Port Authority. Despite her honest confession that it was a surprise gift, her father punishes her by hitting her palms with a ruler to teach her not to touch things that do not belong to her.
• Observing the Macdonalds: Through a gap in the fence, Kezia watches the neighbor, Mr. Macdonald, playing joyfully with his five children. This leads her to the realization that there are "different sorts of fathers"—some who are playful and others who are stern.
• The Nightmare in the Dark: When her mother falls ill and both her mother and grandmother are at the hospital, Kezia is left alone at night. She has a recurring nightmare of a butcher with a knife and a rope, waking up in a cold sweat.
• A New Understanding: Her father comes to her room, carries her to his own bed, and tucks her in to comfort her. As she rests her head on his chest, Kezia realizes that her father isn't a "giant," but a tired man who works too hard to be like Mr. Macdonald. She discovers the "nice hardness" of his character and his "big heart."