"Many folks?" her aunt asked with whatever change or fulfilment of a
first intent.

From kneeling over to play with the baby the girl sank back on her heels
with her hands fallen before her.

"I don't know."

"What did he preach?"

"The Word of God; God's own words. All Scripture; but it was like as if
it was the first time you ever heard it."

The girl was looking at the woman, but seemed rapt from the sight of her
in a vision of the night before.

"I reckon Satan could make it sound that way," Nancy said, but her niece
seemed not to hear her. Nancy stood staring at her, with words bitter
beyond saying in her heart; words that rose in her throat and choked her.
When she spoke she only said, "Get up, Jane; your father'll be here in a
minute."

"I'm not going to eat anything. I'm going into the woods." She staggered
to her feet, and dashed from the door. The child looked after her with
outstretched arms and whimpered pitifully, but she did not mind its call.

"Where's Jane?" her father said, coming in at the back door.

"Gone into the woods," she said.