‘Pap he’s sick today,’ Joe said. ‘I see that. He’s dauncy all day.’

‘He’s got some trifle on his mind,’ Nannie said, ‘and it’s unknowen how much a trifle can worry a body, when you study it over.’

‘Pap’s not much to talk, but he studies out a heap in his head.’

‘If all the people in a country turned against you why that would be a thing to study over,’ Hen said. He spoke bitterly, biting at his twitching lips. The young went early to their beds, repelled by the strangeness of the night. When they were gone Jasper called Ellen with a dry toneless voice and when she came near the fireplace he said that he would have to go away, that he could not stay longer in that country.

‘I’ll go somewheres far out of hearen of this place. I’ve done little that’s amiss here, but still I’d have to go. I couldn’t see my way to stay here and that’s what I studied out all day. I aim to go far, so far that word from this place can’t come there or is not likely. The strongest man in the place, I was, vigorous to lift above the rest, but they sneaked in on me when I was asleep and tied me with a rope. If I could ’a’ got one hand free. It wouldn’t be in reason to ask a man to stay on here now, and I aim to start when the moon rises, although I done little amiss here, God knows. I’ll be a long piece off by sunup. Walk, I will, and leave you the horses, and you and Hen can make out right well. Afterwhile I’ll send for you-all if you’re of a mind to come where I am, but I got to go now. You and the rest better stay where you got a roof over your heads and no man can take it away from you. I paid the rent ahead as you know. Don’t let any man tell you different, but they won’t trouble you, Ellie. If they do there’s men up around Pike’s will take your part, and I’ll come back, God knows, and come fixed to fight with the law on my side or maybe a weapon. But I’ll be gone at moonrise. I can’t see e’er other way, every man’s arm raised against me.’

Ellen was sitting in her stiff little chair across the hearth rocks, receiving his words, staring at the floor where the footmarks of the mob still stained the boards although she had swept them. Then she said:

‘No, I’d go with you, Jasper, wherever you see fitten to go. I couldn’t nohow see my way to stay behind. I’d go where you go and live where you lives, all my enduren life. If you need to go afore sunup, why then I need to go afore sunup too. I couldn’t make out to live on here with you gone. I’d have to go where you go and when.’