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At the end of chapter three, the governess has her first encounter with a ghost. "He did stand up there! "but high up, beyond the lawn and at the very top of the tower to which, on that first morning, little Flora had conducted me- (James 310). Before her walk she fantasizes about the master and hopes that her good work will give him "pleasure."" .
After she sees the man on the tower, her love for the children increases. "We expect of a small child a scant one, but there was in this beautiful little boy something extraordinarily happy, that, more than in any creature of his age I have seen, struck me as beginning anew each day- (James 315). And in regard to the reason for his expulsion from school the governess "found nothing at all, and he was therefore an angel- (315). Looking through a window, the governess sees the ghost looking at her once again, but he quickly vanishes. Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, asks the governess what the matter was and she explains what she saw. The fact that she was looking through a window might suggest sexual voyeurism. The governess describes what the man looks like, "He's tall, active, erect- (320). Again, using the word erect is a sexual connotation. Mrs. Grose comes to the conclusion that the man the governess saw is Peter Quint, the deceased valet of the governess's employer. The governess then says that Quint was looking for Miles but she did not know why. Mrs. Grose explains to the governess that Quint liked to play with Miles and spoil him. "Quint was much too free- (323). This might imply that Quint .
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sexually molested Miles. Mrs. Gross also explains to the governess that Quint and Miss Jessel, the deceased former governess, had sexual relations with each other. The governess, still groping for understanding, becomes aware of the dark forces at work and declares that she "was there to protect and defend the little creatures- (326) from a sexual threat.