Summary

As Lila and Reverend Ames decorate for Christmas, she recalls how rarely the holiday was celebrated in her past. She knows her husband is anxious for next year when their child will be there, but she also knows how hard it will be if something goes wrong. Both are eager for and worried about their child's birth.

There is snow on the ground when their child arrives in March. Stranded inside by the storm, Lila and Reverend Ames play Gin, but when pain overwhelms Lila, he puts her in his bed and crawls in beside her at her request. She worries about being a mother, but he comforts her fears. Waking from a nightmare, Lila thinks the people in town must wonder how she and her husband spend their time, and thinking of how Doll's knife separates her from other people, she...