In the early hours of the morning, a strong wind wakes up Kipps, and just as he falls back asleep, he hears the sound of the child crying in the marsh. He struggles to ignore it, and, on his way downstairs, he feels as though someone has passed him in the hall. He starts to believe that there must be another person living in the house, but he soon convinces himself that cannot be true either. He begins to reflect on the perception of what is or is not real. After realizing he left his candle in the nursery, he convinces himself to go back for it, so he can read before the sun rises.

Later on, he takes Spider outside, and Spider soon runs off after hearing a whistle come from the marsh. Kipps follows Spider and almost gets stuck in the marsh from trying to free Spider from drowning. Once the pair have escaped the mud, Kipps looks up at Eel Marsh House to see the woman in black staring at him from the nursery. He lies down in front of the house and collapses as he hears the sound of a horse-drawn cart coming toward him.