Summary

In Part IV, Chapter 37, after Mary’s funeral, Sallie goes to "the Dunbar house" (232). Confused and overwhelmed, she sits in the car "for two hours" before meeting with Cecil and Tom (232). She has ideas about how to fix the county, but is unsure “if any of them are any good” (232). Because he is old, Cecil says he cannot act as Sallie’s advisor. He recommends she get married, as “this is a rough business” and she needs “a man at [her] side” (233). When Sallie asks Tom to work with her, he says his new wife Amy is disinterested in living in Claiborne County. When Sallie leaves, she feels alone.

In Chapter 38, a crowd gathers at the Emporium. They want to know if they have Sallie’s support. After the meeting, Sallie recalls the Duke telling her if she could find “one...