HE SEES the faces which surround him mirror astonishment， puzzlement， then outrage， then fear， as if they looked beyond his wild antics and saw behind him and looking down upon him， in his turn unaware， the Final and supreme Face Itself， cold， terrible because of lts omniscient detachment. He knows that they see more than that: that they see the trust of which he proved himself unworthy， being used now for his chastisement， it seems to him now that he talks to the Face: "Perhaps I accepted more than I could perform. But is that criminal? Shall be punished for that? Shall I be held responsible for that which was beyond my power?" And the Face: "It was not to accomplish that that you accepted her. You took her as a means toward your own selfishness. As an instrument to be called to jefferson; not for my ends， but for your own."

 

CHAPTER 1 

CHAPTER 2 

CHAPTER 3 

CHAPTER 4 

CHAPTER 5 

CHAPTER 6 

CHAPTER 7 

CHAPTER 8 

CHAPTER 9 

CHAPTER 10 

CHAPTER 11 

CHAPTER 12 

CHAPTER 13 

CHAPTER 14 

CHAPTER 15 

CHAPTER 16 

CHAPTER 17 

CHAPTER 18 

CHAPTER 19 

CHAPTER 20 

CHAPTER 21 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

　　He takes the team out and waters and stalls and feeds them， and lets the cows in from the pasture. Then he goes to the kitchen. She is still there， the gray woman with a cold， harsh， irascible face， who bore five children in six years and raised them to man- and womanhood. She is not idle. He does not look at her. He goes to the sink and fills a pan from the pail and turns his sleeves back. "Her name is Burch，" he says. &At least that's what she says the fellow's name is that she is hunting for. Lucas Burch. Somebody told her back down the road a ways that he is in Jefl:erson now" He begins to wash， his back to her. "She come all the way from Alabama， alone and afoot， she says." Mrs. Armstid does not look around. She is busy at the table. "She's going to quit being alone a good while before she sees Alabama again，" she says. 

　　"Or that fellow Burch either， I reckon." He is quite busy at the sink， with the soap and water. And he can feel her looking at him， at the back of his head， his shoulders in the shirt of sweatfaded blue. "She says that somebody down at Samson's told her there is a fellow named Burch or something working at the planing millinjefferson." 

　　"And she expects to find him there. Waiting. With the house all furnished and all." 

　　He cannot tell from her voice if she is watching him or not now. He towels himselfwith a split floursack. "Maybe she will. Ifit's running away from her he's after， I reckon he's going to find out he made a bad mistake when he stopped before he put the Mississippi River between them." And now he knows that she is watching him: the gray woman not plump and not thin， manhard， workhard， in a serviceable gray garment worn savage and brusque， her hands on her hips， her face like those of generals who have been defeated in battle. 

　　"You men， she says. 

　　"What do you want to do about it? Turn her out? Let her sleep in the barn maybe?" 

　　"You men，" she says. "You durn men." 

　　They enter the kitchen together， though Mrs. Armstid is in front. She goes straight to the stove. Lena stands just within the door. Her head is uncovered now， her hair combed smooth. Even the blue garment looks freshened and rested. She looks on while Mrs. Armstid at the stove clashes the metal lids and handles the sticks of wood with the abrupt savageness of a man. "I would like to help，" Lena says. 

　　Mrs.Armstid does not look around. She clashes the stove savagely "You stay where you are. You keep off your feet now， and you'II keep off your back a while longer maybe." 

　　"It would be a beholden kindness to let me help." 

　　"You stay where you are. I been doing this three times a day for thirty years now. The time when I needed help with it is done passed." She is busy at the stove， not backlooking. 'Armstid says your name is Burch." "Yes，" the other says. Her voice is quite grave now， quite quiet. She sits quite still， her hands motionless upon her lap. And Mrs. Armstid does not look around either. She is still busy at the stove. It appears to require an amount of attention out of all proportion to the savage finality with which she built the fire. It appears to engage as much of her attention as if it were an expensive watch. 

　　"Is your name Burch yet?" Mrs. Armstid says. 

　　The young woman does not answer at once. Mrs. Armstid does not rattle the stove now though her back is still toward the younger woman. 

　　Then she turns. They look at one another， suddenly naked， watching one another: the young woman in the chair， with her neat hair and her inert hands upon her lap， and the older one beside the stove， turning， motionless too， with a savage screw of gray hair at the base of her skull and a face that might have been carved in sandstone. Then the younger one speaks. 

　　……