The following day, Ethan rushes through his work, then home to glue the red dish together before Zeena returns home. To his surprise, when he gets home with the glue, Zeena is already there. Zeena informs Ethan that she has "complications" and will need a "hired girl." Zeena tells Ethan that she hired a girl when she was in Bettsbridge who will be arriving on the train the next afternoon and that Mattie will have to leave so the new girl can have Mattie's bedroom. Ethan is angry, but realizes that Zeena will have her way. He tells Mattie that she will have to leave and he kisses her for the first time. Zeena comes into the kitchen furious because she has found her broken red pickle dish.
Ethan wants to go away with Mattie, but can't leave Zeena destitute. He understands that he is Zeena's prisoner. In the morning, Ethan again goes to visit Mr. Hale to ask for advance payment on lumber, and on his way, stops to speak to Mrs. Hale, who empathizes with him. He realizes that he can't take advantage of the Hales' understanding and returns home. Daniel Byrne, a neighbor, takes Mattie's trunk to the train station. Ethan insists that he will take Mattie to the train station himself.
