Harvest

That night, Walter relates that Lizzie Carr, the young Gleaning Queen, has been detained by Master Jordan, along with Anne Rogers and Kitty Gosse. The youngest and strongest men should be agitating for their return, but Walter believes they’ve fled the village—Brooker Higgs hasn’t been seen in hours, and he spotted the Derby twins walking away with bundles on their backs. None of the villagers have ever felt it safer to be outside the town than within.

Walter doesn’t know which “version of events” to believe. In their confusion, many villagers attribute all the recent wrongs—from the ransacking of the cottages, to Willowjack’s death, to the impending arrival of the sheep—to Mistress Beldam. Even Walter considers the possibility that “she’s brought a curse onto our land.” They’ve told their suspicion to Master Jordan, but instead he’s targeting their women and children.

The one thing of which Walter is certain is that earlier in the afternoon, Lizzie snuck out of the threshing barn, still wearing her gleaning sash, only to be picked up by Jordan’s men, who held her by her braids and questioned her about why she was outside the barn and why she was wearing such an expensive cloth. Unsatisfied with her answers, they marched her away to the manor house.

Walter isn’t sure how the other women got involved. He imagined they witnessed Lizzie’s capture and ran out of the barn to defend her, only to be born off to the manor house themselves. Anne’s shouts must have drawn everyone else to the door of the barn to witness the events, and the young men must have decided to leave the village then. Walter doesn’t know the specifics because he’s “not included in village circles” at the moment.

Walter is as angry as his neighbors, but they are becoming suspicious and close-mouthed around him, refusing to answer his questions or even converse with him. After a dozen years among them, his “once darker hair is clashing with their blond again,” reminding them that he’s still an outsider, that he didn’t participate in the gleaning, and that he spent the afternoon with Mr. Quill while they were penned in the barn.

Walter imagines that he’s also made enemies by being found in Kitty Gosse’s bed. The villagers who are related to her will see him as disrespectful and those related to Cecily will consider him disloyal, while other men who desired the widow will resent him.

From their silence towards him, Walter intuits that if the villagers have to implicate someone to allay Jordan’s wrath, they will choose him, rather than sacrificing a native villager. Walter doesn’t blame them—after all, he’s been keeping secrets and looking after his own interests by seeking employment with Mr. Quill, rather than theirs.

Walter wonders if instead of casting his lot with Mr. Quill, who is after all a disabled man of uncertain fortunes, he should ask Master Kent to employ him again. He can help his old master stand up to Jordan and keep his place in the house. While Walter feels he has many options for the future, he’s gloomy because he knows that any of the village’s happiness, “or at least the lands that nurture it,” will be gone by the time the frost comes.

While Walter listens, the villagers decide they must “petition” Jordan for the return of the women. They are certain that, as the majority, they will be listened to; Walter worries that this isn’t true, and that the “master always weighs the most” in any dispute. Anyway, the villagers can’t even write enough to make a petition.

Some of the more hotheaded villagers want to storm the manor house with sticks, but this isn’t a popular idea, given Jordan’s fierce sidemen. Others want to let the drama run its course and trust that Jordan will be reasonable. Finally, it’s decided that two of the men will humbly present themselves at the manor, explain that all the recent troubles are the fault of the newcomers, particularly Mistress Beldam, and ask for the women back in exchange for their help in apprehending her.

As they’re walking to the manor, they see Mr. Quill in conversation with the young man in the pillory; all the villagers disapprove, seeing this as a sign of Mr. Quill’s disloyalty even though they know they haven’t been just to this strange man. Their feelings of shame are simultaneously the reason why no one curses at him and why no one brings him food or ale. With his kindness, Mr. Quill is showing the villagers what they’ve done wrong, but this won’t make anyone like him.

Walter quietly breaks off from the villagers and joins Mr. Quill, as they’ve agreed to search for Mistress Beldam that night. As they settle down to wait in the shadows, Mr. Quill explains that the man in the pillory is her husband, and the dead man was her father. They’ve traveled to the village because their own common ground, not far away, has been converted into a sheep farm. Walter is unhappy to hear that Mistress Beldam, the object of his fascination, is married, and he suspects Mr. Quill is as well. He simultaneously wants to see and dreads seeing her approach the pillory to kiss and care for her husband.

Eventually, all three men hear Mistress Beldam coming. Walter isn’t sure if the husband knows they are crouching near him, or if he will warn her away. However, he only whistles softly to her. Mr. Quill points her out as she emerges; it’s only the second time Walter has seen her, and she’s smaller and “more birdlike” than he remembers her. He wonders if she was really strong enough to drive a metal spike into Willowjack’s head. He wishes he could touch her velvety hair.

Mistress Beldam carries a bundle of food and a bottle of cordial Walter knows she must have stolen from the village. She kisses her husband and lifts the bottle to his mouth, but when she hears the villagers noisily returning from the manor house she disappears. Mr. Quill runs to the pillory, hides the bottle which she’s dropped, and hurries after the departed woman.