Book 7: The Bullet, Chapters 3-4 Summary

In Chapter 3, Certain Effects, James gives Frances a packet containing Kathleen's things. Frances reads through Kathleen's diary and puts it in the hope chest. Over the next several days, James and Frances talk at length.

At Christmas time, Mercedes is embarrassed by Frances' friendliness with everyone in town. She no longer needs mothering by Mercedes as has finally come into her own.

On April Fool's Day, Frances pulls out the photograph of Kathleen and tells Lily she was her mother. She relates that Kathleen went to New York to be an opera singer, but something happened and James brought her home. Ambrose drowned in the creek in an accident, while Lily wound up with polio. She tells Lily that she does not know why she brought her to the creek, but she held her and...