Mary stands frozen, staring at Joss’s body as a spider crawls along his arm. Mary cannot handle the silence; she flees in terror back to Richards, unable to search for Aunt Patience. Richards tries to comfort her. In her heart, Mary knows that Aunt Patience is dead. She suddenly remembers Harry and assumes that he must be the murderer.

Squire Bassat and his men arrive. Mary and Richards explain the situation. Bassat searches the house and confirms Mary’s fear: Patience is dead, stabbed in the back like Joss. The men find Harry, who had been locked in the storeroom the whole time—there is no way he could be the murderer. To Mary’s dismay, she can only think of one other possible suspect: Jem.

Francis Davey arrives. He received Mary’s note and came to help her.

The vicar took Mary in. At his house, he administered a sedative, and Mary slept for 14 hours, which helped dull her grief and bitterness. When she wakes, she is still wracked with regret. She is conflicted about whether or not to turn Jem in. To distract herself from cynicism or sentimentality, she examines the vicar’s paintings. They are skillfully done, but each one has an indefinable, uncanny quality.