Summary

In Chapter 23, Mary sits by her mother at church. She is aware that Thomas is seated with the men and that Henry is seated near him. She thinks about Jonathan who needs help paying gambling debts and Peregrine who might have tried to poison her. She gasps aloud when Reverend Norton reads a passage about “the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps” (242). She takes that as a sign and believes it must be from God because it happens in church. She wonders if Peregrine might have planted the forks, then resorted to poisoning the apples. Mary can imagine nothing worse that being cut off from God, but she knows people make deals with the Devil. Reverend Norton describes the horrors of Hell and warns everyone will be condemned unless they live as God commands. He says God gave them this...