Vaillant departs in midsummer. By December, Latour has succumbed to a crisis of faith and doubt. On one sleepless night, he goes to the church to pray. At first, he shrinks from the cold, but then he covers himself in an old cloak lined with squirrel. In the sacristy of the church is Sada, a slave of the Protestant-American Smith family, who is prejudiced against Catholics and will not allow her to attend Mass or see a priest.
On this evening, the Smiths have put Sada in the woodshed, and she has found the courage to escape and come to the church. Latour leads her into the church, and Sada falls to her knees to kiss the floor. She tells Latour it has been nineteen years since she seen the altar. Latour prays with Sada, who tells him that she prays the rosary every night. As they pray together, the bishop receives new hope. When Sada refuses to keep his cloak, Latour gives her a small silver medal. After she departs, Latour realizes that his need has been as great as hers, and that his moment of crisis has ceased.
