Chapter 8 Summary

Merricat returns to the house for dinner and overhears Charles saying that something must be done about here. Merricat notices that Constance is dressed up more than usual and has her hair done nicely. Constance tells Merricat to go comb her hair and wash her face before she sits down. She goes upstairs, and while she's up there she peeks into her father's room. Constance has cleaned it up, but it looks empty because the broken mirror is gone. Merricat sees that Charles has left a pipe still burning on the bedside table. Merricat brushes the pipe into the wastebasket and it falls onto Charles's newspapers.

Uncle Julian eats well at dinner and is very agreeable. Charles thinks he smells smoke, and goes to investigate. The whole house is on fire, and they don't have a phone to call the fire station. Uncle...