Summary

In Chapter 36, Rumpus spends the day playing around the forest. He “marks the clearing” because “The forest was beginning to feel like . . . his home territory” (243). He wonders why Maggie has not returned.

In Chapter 37, Maggie hears the people at the pub discussing an emergency town hall meeting. Maggie is leaning so far back in an effort to listen that she tips her chair over. As the people rush to help, Maggie tries to say she is fine, but freeze. Maggie is embarrassed by the time Fred arrives. A man named Jago cites Maggie's inability to talk, saying she might have hit her head. Fred says Maggie just has a stutter, and urges them away. Maggie nods when Fred asks if she is alright. He urges her to ignore the rude comments. Maggie thinks about her inability to speak up for Wildoak. When the...