Communion
- Back home, Briony learns that Rose has the swamp cough again.
- While she is thinking frantically about everything that is going wrong, their father comes home and goes to bed.
- Briony decides she must act, and runs to the pumping station again.
- This time, however, Mr. Clayborne has hired Robert (Rose's favorite fireman) to guard the pump station.
- Eldric also (mysteriously) happens to be there, and he tells Robert he will handle it.
- Okay, so his being there wasn't very mysterious after all—he admits to nosily following Briony there.
- Briony asks Eldric if he suspected her, and he says he didn't not suspect her. It seems fair enough.
- Eldric asks her why she did it, but she says she cannot tell him. As far as friends and fraternity members go, Briony is definitely struggling with the trust and honesty part.
- Eldric agrees not to tell on Briony if she will help him get permission to have a party in her father's garden. Who is the party for Eldric?
- The two of them take a seat against the pumping station wall and begin talking about their fraternity. Proving his bad boy status, Eldric produces communion wine which they drink while they sit and talk, leaning against each other.