Juanita and Mrs. Tussle kept Kate in bed a week until her milk dried. When she returned to life in the big house she felt shriveled of all emotion save dedication to duty. She disciplined herself daily to do what must be done. She had even steeled herself to keep Juanita upstairs in the nurse's room off the empty nursery, although the girl tried to insist on moving back to the quarters to spare Kate remembrance of the baby's death.

Juanita drooped about the place, wearing a haunted, brooding look, which Kate attributed to the baby's death, until the day a letter came for her addressed to ``Miss Juanita Fitzroy,'' bearing a Grafton postmark. Seeing the slanting hand, Kate knew uneasily that it was from the Yankee colonel. The Federal forces had taken Parkersburg and Grafton from the Rebels and were moving to take all the mountains. Kate tried to contain her curiosity and foreboding at what the letter portended, at what involvement existed for Juanita.

Uncle Randolph and Joel had replanted the bottom lands with difficulty, for more of the slaves, including Annie, had sneaked off when the soldiers broke camp. Joel worked like a field hand in the afternoons after school. He had been at lessons in the schoolhouse since they returned from Harpers Ferry. Kate felt she had deserted the boy in her own loss. She loved him and missed his company.

Uncle Randolph had been riding out every evening on some secret business of his own. What it was Kate could not fathom. He claimed to be visiting the waterfront saloon at the crossroads to play cards and drink with his cronies, but Kate had not smelled brandy on him since Mrs. Lattimer's funeral. Joel knew what he was about, however.