Summary

At the house, Alice finds out that Margery is pregnant, and is surprised to learn that she and Sven are not going to get married. Alice will not say it, but she is worried, especially because having a baby means that Margery will not be able to run the library anymore. After all, “she was the heart and backbone of it” (272). When Margery goes to assess the damage the flood caused at Sophia and William’s house, she notices that most of the debris and creekbed is covered in a thick, black mud. She remembers that the water “turned dark abruptly” and that there was a “chemical tang” to it (274). She rides up into the mountains by the mines, and when she finally reaches the top, she can see that one of the dams had burst, leaving behind a nasty black residue.

Margery...