Uriah set the candle down on the table and pulled out one of the chairs. "Sit, Mary. I wish to have a word with you."

But Mary did not move. Once more her eyes passed over the objects in the room. Atop the chest of drawers lay the scarf she had embroidered. A small dressing table complete with mirror and cushioned stool sat near a boarded window. On the stool lay the clean night dress Sarah had unpacked for her earlier. The second window still had glass panes.

"Mary, I have missed you," he said finally.

"I see. Is that why you saw fit to be gone when I arrived?"

Uriah left the chair he held for her. He walked to the other side of the room, leaned against the wall and watched her. "I have missed you, Mary. I miss you still."

"Splendid, now you talk in riddles. Can we simply go to bed? I am tired."

"No we can not, not until we have settled it."

"You have already settled everything? You brought us to America, you took this house, filthy though it may be, and I am to sleep in the bed you made ready. I would like choosing my own bedchamber. I would like choosing anything at all."

"Fine, but not until morning."

In a huff, she plopped down in the chair and pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders. "Fine." She glanced at him, but only briefly. Then she fixed her eyes downward and waited, but he did not speak. Annoyed, she raised her voice, "Well, get on with it."