On Friday morning, Papa comes home. Seth is torn between resentment and relief; he didn’t see his father for almost two weeks. When Papa sees Seth, he pulls him close and hugs him. It helps to relieve some of the bitterness Seth was carrying around with him. Mama is very excited to see Papa, too. They embrace. The bridge was repaired, and supplies are arriving. Papa is exhausted and drained; they feed him, then he falls asleep on the parlor floor. Later, Seth spots his father sitting outside, watching him work. Seth worries Papa will judge his work poorly, but he soon gets back into the rhythm of working with Josiah and is proud of what he does.

Something about Papa changed. Seth thinks the “tough shell” he always had has cracked, maybe because of his sorrow, or because of losing everything he had, but there is a softness to him now that Seth values (196). He knows he’ll have to tell his father his decision about not going to college soon. Josiah and Seth finish Ezra’s new house. Papa inspects it, but Seth does not let his fear of failure or judgment bring him down this time.