Nora Seed is in the library of Hazeldene School conversating with the librarian Mrs. Elm, featuring their chess game as a backdrop.
Mrs. Elm is encouraging Nora about her future, assuring her that she can do or be anything, despite her worries about upcoming exams.
The author mentions Nora's strained relationship with her mother, who always treated her as if she was a mistake to be corrected.
Nora and Mrs. Elm discuss the weather, revealing Nora’s wish to live somewhere less cold and wet.
Nora shares knowledge about different elements of the natural world, displaying her intelligence.
Nora expresses her feeling of insecurity in school, especially after her brother had left, and sees the library as her little refuge.
She laments her father's disappointment over her quitting swimming, leading Mrs. Elm to remind her there's more to life than swimming, and she could be anything, like a glaciologist for example.
Just as Mrs. Elm is making her point, she's interrupted by a phone call. Mrs. Elm answers and becomes visibly distraught, uttering words implying bad news and ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.