There was a large cupboard in the room that I had never used. I went to it now and found Margaret Dorn’s clothes and put them on—the drawers, the corset, the under blouse, the black silk stockings and the black taffeta, high-­collared dress. Last I put on the black patent leather shoes with the aid of a buttonhook that I found on the dresser.

Then I unlocked my door and went downstairs. There was a light in the parlor. I went in and saw a man I didn’t recognize, nor did I recognize some of the furniture in the room. The man was on his knees and he had fallen asleep with his head on the horsehair sofa that General Caine had bought for me. He awakened now and arose and started toward me, but I went quickly out of the room and to the kitchen. There I unbolted the back door and was into the yard before the man could reach me.

I went down the path past the graveyard to the woods. I looked back once and saw the man behind me, but he stopped pursuing me then, although he continued to call my name. The other voices had stopped now that I was on my way.

Even though the woods was dark I kept on without hesitation. It was a chilly fall night, but that didn’t bother me either. When I came to the creek I moved along it until I found a place to cross by stepping on the rocks.

It must have taken me a half hour or more, because the path meandered around thickets and followed the lower side of hilly ground. I saw no house lights until I came out of the woods, crossed an uncultivated field and found another path. Ahead was the rear of a house with one lighted window. It wasn’t my house, but it stood where my house had once stood.

I could hear singing and chanting as I approached the door. When I was a few feet away, the door opened and a woman called out, “Welcome, Mother. Welcome to this house.” She had white hair and she seemed much older than I, although I knew she was my granddaughter.

She led me to the back room, where the congregation waited. There were twenty or more people in two lines, and they all bowed low and murmured, “Welcome, Mother,” as I passed between the lines and went to the head of the room.

There was an altar over which hung an inverted crucifix and behind the altar on a platform were two chairs. General Caine in his uniform was seated in one chair. He arose and beckoned to me to come around the altar and take the other chair. I did, and then saw that on the floor between the chairs were three wooden coffins.