Summary

After his candidate, Mr. Donne, wins the election, Mr. Bradshaw finds that he is disappointed and embarrassed that he compromised his strong morals and his reputation in the community, especially for someone like Mr. Donne. Instead of making him more generous and forgiving of other people’s sins, Mr. Bradshaw only becomes stricter and more judgmental.

Jemima is still in love with Mr. Farquhar though she continues to be moody and unpredictable. This causes Mr. Farquhar to shift his attention to Ruth who is oblivious for months until it becomes too obvious to ignore. Ruth is deeply ashamed and depressed over her past sin and the resurfacing of Mr. Donne/Bellingham, though she keeps it all to herself. Jemima is depressed too and still hates and is jealous of Ruth. Ruth is upset both about Jemima and about Mr. Farquhar’s unwanted attention...