Chapter 8 Summary

Sylvie wakes Ruth up before dawn and drags her down to the shore of the lake where she hunts for some time before finding the boat she intends to take, which has been hidden. They cast off, and are followed by an irate man who wades partly into the water after them, yelling and throwing rocks. Sylvie laughs and says to ignore the man as he always does that. Ruth suggests he might be the boat's owner, and Sylvie says he might just be a lunatic. On a remote wilderness area on the other side of the lake Sylvie shows Ruth the abandoned farmhouse, fallen in on its cellar. While Ruth is looking at the frost sparkling in the sun, she misses the moment when Sylvie leaves her. Ruth is stranded alone, cold and hungry for the entire day, until early evening when...