Adelaide discovers that although her new cabin leaves much to be desired, it does have a root cellar. Some of the jars of preserved food are salvageable, which will provide her with more resources. Mr. Olsen returns three days later, and to her relief, she is able to purchase the items that the Mudges abandoned. With her new supplies and a renewed sense of confidence, she starts to arrange her cabin to her liking. She places the trunk at the foot of her bed and feels comfortable enough to remove the key from around her neck, placing it on a nail by the door. Among the Mudges’ items, Adelaide finds a tin containing several photographs and feels a degree of shame in possessing them. She decides not to look through them, on the small chance that she encounters the Mudges again one day and is able to return them.

Four weeks pass, and the weather becomes terribly cold, even though it is only October. One day, someone knocks on Adelaide’s door and she is so surprised that she remains frozen in her chair, unable to answer. Eventually a young boy peeks through her window, and Adelaide hears his mother chastising him.