“I know all you would say, Luther,” she said, understanding his reluctance to give up. “I know what these women who think I haven’t wanted to visit them will say, and I don’t blame them, but I will not send for him now or ever. I have wronged him in ways he has known nothing of—maybe the scandal I haven’t deserved at his hands will square that deal a little—but that is not the present difficulty. We’ll have to have an agreement about our plan of life together. If he ever comes back I shall never deceive him again, but I will never be deceived by him again, either.”
“Well, you know best, Lizzie. I’ll talk to Jake for you. You’d best try t’ keep him an’ Hepsie. They’re good friends an’ you’re goin’ t’ need friends.”
Luther saw that the buggy was got ready for Elizabeth and Hepsie, and after they had gone talked to the men, telling them that Elizabeth had asked him to do so. He told them her offer was for them to stay on at the usual wage, or go now so that she could fill their places. After they had signified their willingness to remain in her employment, he took Jake aside and had a long talk with him.
Jake Ransom filled with anger when the two were alone.
“I didn’t say anything when you was a talkin’ t’ them men,” he said confidentially, “but I ain’t lived in this house for close on three year now without learnin’ somethin’. Damned fool! never done nothin’ she’s wanted ’im to since I’ve been here. She got ’er eye-teeth cut when Mis Hornby died, but it most killed ’er. I’ve watched ’er a gittin’ hold of ’erself gradual-like, an’ I knew there’d be an end of his bossin’ some day. Gosh! I’m glad she got th’ money! Noland was some fond of her.”
Jake stole a sidelong glance at Luther as he said it and waited to see if he would elicit an answer. When Luther did not reply, he added:
“I’m dog’on glad I’ve been here. Lots of folks ’ll ask me questions, an’ won’t I be innocent? You kin help at your end of this thing too. I guess we kin do it ’tween us.”
The understanding was perfect, but Jake took warning by Luther’s refusal to discuss private affairs. Without saying just what was intended, each knew what course of action the other meant to take, and so Elizabeth was granted friends at the critical moment of her life and spared much that was hard in a community where personalities were the only topics of conversation.