The next morning, Ethan is feeling quite happy. He has a vision of what life could be like with Mattie. Ethan leaves for work and tells Mattie that he will be home for dinner. During the morning, everything that can possibly go wrong, does. Delayed by problems, Ethan decides to go to Starkfield to get the glue to mend Zeena’s red dish after his mid-day meal. He wants to get home and mend the dish before Zeena’s return. In the village, Ethan is further delayed when the first shop he tries doesn’t have what he needs. He goes to Mrs. Homan’s shop, purchases her last bottle of glue, and returns home as fast as possible.
When Ethan arrives home, he shows Mattie the glue and intends to repair the dish but Mattie stops him. Zeena is home and is upstairs in her room. Ethan assures Mattie that he will mend the dish during the night so Zeena will not find out it was broken.
Ethan invites Jotham Powell to supper, but to Ethan’s surprise, Jotham declines the invitation. Ethan thought Jotham would be a restraining influence during the meal. Ethan considers Jotham’s refusal to be a warning of Zeena’s mood. When he returns to the house, Mattie’s preparations for supper make it seem as warm and hospitable as the evening before.
Ethan goes to the bedroom to see Zeena. Zeena informs Ethan that she has “complications”: She is seriously sick. Ethan feels compassion for her believing that she may have a serious illness. Zeena informs Ethan that Dr. Buck has prescribed that she do no more work around the house and that she has hired a new girl to come and assume the household duties. Ethan is so shocked by the blow to his pocketbook that he does not think of the implications for Mattie. His anger is roused but in the argument that follows he is forced to admit lamely that he was unable to get the money from Andrew Hale. He realizes he has been caught in a lie.
Zeena tells Ethan that the new girl will be arriving the next day and that Mattie will have to leave at once. Ethan leaves the bedroom and finds Mattie downstairs in the kitchen. Without explaining why, Ethan embraces and kisses Mattie, caught up in love for her and hate for Zeena. Ethan breaks the news to Mattie. When he considers what her plight will be when thrown on the mercies of the outside world, Ethan is moved to swear that he will reverse Zeena’s decision. He stops speaking in mid-sentence when Zeena enters the kitchen. Zeena sits down at the table, eats, and converses about physical problems among her friends and relatives.
After eating, Zeena complains that the meal has given her indigestion. She goes to get her heartburn medicine and discovers the broken red pickle dish. Zeena returns to the kitchen demanding to know how her dish broke. Mattie tells her the truth and Zeena scolds her. Zeena leaves the room carrying the pickle dish as if it were a dead body. This incident gives Zeena more justification for sending Mattie away.
