That night, after Ethan is sure Zeena is asleep, he goes downstairs to his cold study to think about all that had happened that evening. He has the note that Mattie had written him earlier in the evening telling him not to trouble himself with the situation. The note was the only note Mattie had ever written him, and in a way, it is the first real sign of communication of her affection for him.
Ethan lays down on the sofa and feels something poking his cheek. He realizes it is a cushion Zeena made for him and he throws it across the room. Ethan considers rebelling against Zeena, violating the rules of society, and divorcing her to run away with Mattie. He recalls the story of a man who left his wife by fleeing to the West with his lover and leaving his farm to his wife. Ethan thinks the plan is a good one and begins to write a note of explanation to Zeena. He realizes that money is a problem. He doesn’t have money for train fare for himself and Mattie, and Zeena would not be able to get any money from the sale of the farm or mill.
Mattie finds him sleeping in his study the next morning. He gets up and they begin the morning chores. At breakfast, Zeena confirms her decision of the previous night by telling Jotham that Daniel Byrne is going to pick up Mattie’s trunk and take it to the train station.
Ethan decides to ask Andrew Hale for the money owed him once again, but on the way he meets Mrs. Hale who is sympathetic towards him. He realizes that he can’t ask for the money and must accept the reality of the situation.
While he’s home for lunch, Ethan defies Zeena and refuses to allow Jotham to drive Mattie to the train station, insisting that he drive Mattie himself.
Zeena retires to her bedroom, and Mattie and Ethan begin their journey to the train station. Ethan tries to tell Mattie of his wish to run away with her, and she produces the note he’d written the night before that she’d found in his study. They confirm that their imagined love for each other is real.
They arrive at the sledding hill and decide to make good on the plans they had to go sledding together. After they successfully coast down the hill once, they kiss good-bye. Because they don’t wish to be separated, ever, they decide to commit suicide by sledding into the elm tree. As they start down the hill and approach the elm tree, Ethan has an ugly vision of Zeena’s face that causes him to swerve the sled; but he resumes the course and steers the sled into the elm tree.
As Ethan regains consciousness, his vision returns and he tries to determine if the star he is looking at is Sirius. As his hearing returns, he hears the sound of a small animal calling out in pain. He becomes aware that the sound is coming from under his hand, which is on Mattie’s face in the snow. He hears his horse whinny and is reminded that the horse needs to be fed.
