Chapter 7 Summary

The chapter opens with a brief history of Potter's Field in New York City. Peyton's husband Harry Miller and his best friend Lennie go out to Hart's Island where the cemetery is located to identify and claim Peyton's body after it is exhumed. Peyton has committed suicide and someone must ensure that the body is returned to Milton and Helen Loftis in Port Warwick, Virginia. Her body was taken to Potter's Field because when the police found Peyton, she was naked and when her apartment was searched, no identification was found. The narrative then recounts the story of how Harry and Peyton meet and fall in love.

The next section of this chapter is a stream-of-consciousness account of Peyton's last days in New York City. Told in her own voice, the reader is able to "hear" what goes on inside Peyton's mind. She...