- Part 4 is called "The White Mulberry Tree."
- The chapter begins with a description of the French church, called the Church of Sainte-Agnes. The church is a tall brick building that sits on top of a hill, making it visible for miles all around.
- It's late in the day on a June afternoon. Alexandra is headed toward the French country with Emil, who has returned from Mexico and is dressed in a sombrero and other typically Mexican clothes.
- There is a Catholic fair at the church, and Alexandra is so proud of her brother that she insisted that he wear his clothing from Mexico. The girls at the fair are also dressing up, and Marie will be telling fortunes in a traditional Bohemian dress her father brought back from Europe.
- Alexandra is satisfied with Emil. She's grateful that at least one of her father's children has been able to see the world, to have "a personality apart from the soil" (4.1.4). It's everything she's been working for.
- When they arrive at the church, Amédée rushes out to hug Emil. His wife has just had a baby a week ago. The narrator clues us in that Amédée is a wealthy young man, since he's an only child, and plans to have a lot of kids.
- Amédée immediately tells Emil how great it is to have a son, and that he needs to get himself one as soon as possible. Emil is less excited. He tells his friend about the things he brought the baby from Mexico.
- Emil has more friends in the French country than down where he grew up, and they gather around him here to admire his costume. The French boys, the narrator explains, are always excited by something new and flashy, with "a bit of swagger" (4.1.7). The Scandinavian boys, on the other hand, tend to be more egotistical and suspicious or jealous of anything out of the ordinary.
- Alexandra heads to the church basement, where the other women are busy preparing for dinner.
- Marie, who is setting up her fortune telling tent, runs over to greet Alexandra. When she sees that Emil isn't with her, she looks disappointed.
- Alexandra assures her that Emil is with the boys and will be there soon. She tells Marie that she won't recognize him; he's "a man now," smokes Mexican cigarettes and speaks Spanish (4.1.9).
- When Emil comes back to the church, he waits a little before going inside. Marie can hear him talking outside and strumming his guitar.
- When he finally comes in for dinner, Marie can't contain her excitement. She runs over, laughing and blushing, admires his outfit, and asks him a string of questions about life in Mexico.
- Emil looks at Marie with his usual brooding gaze, and smiles. Later, to the relief of Marie, he asks his sister to have dinner with him, instead of one of the French Girls.
- Marie brings Frank and sits at the same table. She listens intently to Emil as he discusses the bullfight in Mexico, and then peppers him with more of her own questions.
- Later, during the auction, Emil creates quite a stir when he puts up one of his turquoise shirt studs.
- All the French girls are desperate to have it. Marie, too, tries to get Frank to bid on it, though he takes pleasure in ignoring her. The stud goes to a French girl.
- Marie shrugs her shoulders and goes over to her tent, and starts advertising for fortune telling.
- She amuses everyone with her ironic predictions, for instance, telling a miser that he will lose all his money, marry a young girl and be happy with nothing.
- She tells Amédée he will have 20 children, and 19 of them will be girls. When Amédée tries to joke with Frank about Marie's predictions, he's not amused. Frank goes off to a corner and glares at his wife.
- The narrator steps in here to shed some light on Frank's situation. In this case, he's that much angrier because there's no one in particular that he can be jealous of. Basically, he just prefers to hold a grudge against her. He knows that if he ever dropped it, she would forgive him.
- But what really upsets him is that he can never crush her, and make her humble herself. Over the years, she had simply withdrawn and grown increasingly indifferent to him.
- The real source of his jealousy is knowing that she must have gone on to love another man, because she could not exist without loving someone.
- Meanwhile, Amédée calls Emil over to tell him about a trick the boys are going to play on the girls. They're going to shut off the lights, and in the darkness before the priest is able to turn the lights back on, they'll all have enough time to kiss their girlfriends.
- Since Emil doesn't have one, his job is to blow out the candle in Marie's tent.
- Just before it's time for the lights to go out, Emil goes over to Marie's table and quietly asks whether she'll tell his fortune. It's the first private conversation they've had in almost a year.
- When Marie looks into his eyes, she sees that something pretty wonderful is going on up there. She looks away and shuffles her cards, telling him that she's angry that he gave away his shirt stud to some other girl.
- Emil laughs and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a handful of turquoises that he drops into her lap.
- The lights go out. Emil blows out the candle. There are little shrieks and giggles all through the basement.
- Marie jumps up into Emil's arms and kisses him. In the moment, Marie is hardly aware what she's doing, but Emil is surprised by how natural it seems.
- Their kiss is "almost sorrowful," the narrator adds, like they're "afraid of wakening something in the other" (4.1.25).
- When the lights come on, all the girls are gleeful and rosy-cheeked. Except for Marie. She's pale and quiet. Frank sees, but doesn't seem to notice.
- Emil is already on his way out, eyeing the floor. As Marie quietly takes down her shawls, she hears Emil singing with a friend.
- Alexandra comes over to help Marie and puts a hand on her arm. When Marie stiffens, Alexandra draws back her hand. She's hurt by Marie's coldness.
- Young people are often disconcerted by Alexandra, we're told, because her calm fatalism is unfazed by the stormy emotions of young people.