How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
If I opened the gate, I would be a criminal. Slaves were not allowed out after sunset without a pass from the master. Anyone who caught me could take me to the jail. If I opened the gate, a judge could order me flogged. If I opened the gate, there was no telling what punishment Madam would demand.
If I opened the gate, I might die of fright. (10.22-23)
Even though she knows what the right thing to do is, Isabel nonetheless wrestles with the potential consequences of her actions several times in the book. Still, she always comes out on the side of suppressing her fear in favor of the greater good that could come from her actions. In this case, she chooses to willingly break the rules in hopes that she can use Master Lockton's bribery plot to win their freedom.
Quote #5
I pulled with all my might and lost my footing. Both the sergeant and me stumbled against the table. The ink bottle overturned and poured across the table and papers. The sick man jumped up with a mighty curse and several ugly statements about my character.
"They want to kill the general!" I finally pulled free of the sergeant's grasp. "I have proof." (16.49-50)
Let's take a minute to appreciate the seriousness of what Isabel's doing here. Armed with her secret spy password, she walks into a Patriot military base and demands to see Colonel Regan. The idea of a slave even speaking to an army official, let alone walking into his quarters, would have been unthinkable. Still, Isabel knows it's a risk she must take in order to free her and Ruth from the danger of the Locktons' home.
Quote #6
"Did you sell Ruth?"
"You will not address me in that insolent manner." Her voice shook a little […]
I took another step up. "Answer me, you miserable cow. Did you sell my sister?" (21.51-52, 54)
Directly confronting Madam about selling Ruth takes guts, and calling her a "miserable cow" takes sheer fearlessness. At this point, there's no time for Isabel to consider what could happen to her for doing this. With Ruth's life at stake, a potential beating seems to be the least of her troubles.