Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot?
- As much as Margaret wants to mourn, she has to keep her composure and figure out the family's plans, since Mr. Hale and Frederick aren't being much help.
- She speaks to her father about funeral arrangements. He tells her to contact his friend, Mr. Bell, who was Mr. Hale's best man at his wedding a long time ago. Mr. Bell is also the man responsible for hooking Mr. Hale up with some tutoring in Milton. Margaret just nods and writes to Mr. Bell.
- Later, Margaret gets some unpleasant news from Dixon. Dixon tells her that Mr. Hale has been sitting next to Mrs. Hale's bed and speaking to her as if she were alive. Worse yet, she recently ran into a young man named Leonards whom she recognized from their days in the south of England. He was actually one of the men on board Frederick's naval ship when Frederick helped organize a mutiny.
- Dixon spoke to Leonards at the time and he immediately asked about how Frederick was doing, going on to say that there was a valuable reward out for anyone who captured Frederick. He also let slip to Dixon that he was in Milton on secret business, and now Dixon is afraid that Leonards somehow knows that Frederick is in town.
- Before leaving Dixon, Leonards apparently told her that he'd give her half the reward if she ever helped him capture Frederick.
- The story is enough to spook the family. They decide that Frederick needs to leave immediately. But just then, they wonder if it would ever be possible to clear Frederick's name. Margaret settles on the possibility of contacting Henry Lennox in London and seeing if there's any way Frederick could make a case.
- Frederick also tells Margaret that he is engaged to a beautiful young woman from Spain. He asks whether Mr. Hale and Margaret would move to Spain with him, but Mr. Hale refuses, saying he's had enough moving for one life.
- Margaret advises Frederick to go to London the next evening by train. Then he can meet up with Henry Lennox in London to discuss his case and see if he has any chance of clearing his name. Frederick's new job is to write down the names of as many men as he can remember from his time in the navy. Some of them can be used as witnesses in his defense.
- With this decided, Margaret writes a note to Mr. Lennox. While writing, we are reminded that this is the first contact between them since Margaret rejected his marriage proposal.
- When she's finished the note, Frederick takes it from her and puts it in his pocket book. While doing this, a lock of black hair falls from the pocket book. Frederick promises Margaret that some day, she'll have to meet his fiancée Dolores.