Summary

Martha has Robert read through the letters she wrote, which were all returned, saying they can explain better than she. She says she took money from Caleb to pay for her trip after finding all of Robert's letters, including his address at Mrs. Bienenstock's boarding house. It was Mrs. Bienenstock who directed her to Calaveras Grove, giving her money for the steamboat. Martha reveals that she is having some pain related to the pregnancy, meaning the baby will be born soon but not immediately. Robert asks what they should do, referring to plans for the future, but she says Nancy has already said Martha should travel with them to the nearby town of Murphys to have the baby. Robert realizes he should “concentrate on the next few days for now, and leave the future to sort itself out” (216).

Martha spends some...