Chapter 42 opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel. It is now after the death of the Governess that the reader is introduced to the young Governess's father. The Governess tells her father that he is the one who allowed her to go. The father is shocked at his son's reaction to the news of his daughter's death. He tells his son that he has always felt sorry for her and that he should have done the same for her. The young man, however, is not so sure. He feels that his father has done the right thing and should have taken care of her. He asks his father to take care of his son, who has no need for him to die.