The next morning, Ethan is out early hauling lumber. He thinks about the previous night when he lay awake until the light in Mattie’s room went out. He remembered when Mattie first came to stay with the Fromes. She had not had any place else to go. Her father, Zeena’s cousin, squandered money before dying unexpectedly, and shortly thereafter, Mattie’s mother died, leaving her destitute. Because family members lost money by trusting Mattie’s father with it, they punished Mattie by refusing to help her. Zeena needed household help because of her illness, so Mattie arrived in Starkfield to work for Zeena.
At first, Zeena found fault with everything Mattie did; however, over time, the situation became less tense. After the warning look that Mattie had given Ethan the previous night, Ethan felt it was necessary to leave his work and return home to be sure there was no trouble between Mattie and Zeena.
Ethan was surprised to see Zeena sitting in the kitchen with her suitcase. She announced that she was going to Bettsbridge to see a doctor and would be staying with her aunt, Martha Pierce. The first thought that came to Ethan’s mind was that he would be alone with Mattie for one full night. Because he didn’t want to drive Zeena to the Junction, he lied to her, saying he needed to pick up money from Andrew Hale but that Jotham Powell would drive her.
After Zeena leaves, Ethan leaves the house also to take his load of lumber to Andrew Hale. On the way he thinks about his past—the death of his father, the responsibility of running the farm and mill, his mother’s silence and ultimate death, and his marriage to Zeena after she had cared for his mother. The couple wanted to move away from Starkfield, but Ethan couldn’t find a buyer for the farm and mill and he realized that Zeena needed to stay in Starkfield where she was well known (if only for being “sickly”). Zeena soon became silent also and communication between the couple came to a halt.
After delivering lumber to Andrew Hale and asking for payment (which he doesn’t get), Ethan takes care of other business in town and heads home. When he gets home, the back door is locked. He calls for Mattie and she opens the door, standing exactly as Zeena stood the night before.
Mattie set the dinner table special for Ethan, using Zeena’s cherished red pickle dish. During the course of their meal, the cat knocks the dish and it falls on the floor and breaks. Mattie is quite upset, but Ethan pieces the dish together, puts it on the shelf, and promises to glue it together the next day. Mattie clears the table and they sit down near the fire. Mattie and Ethan talk comfortably with each other while Mattie sews. When the cat jumps from Zeena’s chair, they are reminded of Zeena’s return. They take care of their nightly chores and go to bed.
