Nineteen Chimes
- While watching the village children play on the train tracks, Briony thinks about the suspended London-Swanton line and what it might mean for Rose if they cannot escape. Certainly she will die of the swamp cough if Briony's plan doesn't work.
- Eldric and Briony meet at the Alehouse as they have for the past four Fridays. Pearl is taking care of Rose, so Briony feels particularly free.
- Eldric teaches the local little girls a depressing and morbid jump rope rhyme about tying a baby to the train tracks.
- Cecil comes by, calls Briony "milady" again, and checks her out in her new clothes. All of these things seem to annoy Briony, who tells him not to stare—when Cecil points out that Briony doesn't mind Eldric staring, she simply says Eldric doesn't stare.
- Cecil pushes Briony to talk about some mysterious "it." She says she doesn't know what he is talking about, but he continues to push, saying Briony always has an excuse and that she is betraying him.
- Petey Todd interrupts to make fun of Tiddy Rex, and Briony stands up for Tiddy by poking fun at Petey.
- The arrival of Leanne prompts stares of admiration and compliments from children and Eldric, and jealous thoughts from Briony.
- The four young people (Cecil, Eldric, Briony, and Leanne) sit down to a pretty awkward double date where they eat bar food and talk about Nelly's hanging. Leanne reveals that witches have plagued her family, which is why she came to town to watch Nelly hang.
- While everyone excitedly (morbidly if you ask us) watches Nelly's hanging, Briony makes every attempt to not watch or think about it.
- When Nelly doesn't turn to dust, they have confirmation that she was not, in fact, a witch. Not a good day to be Nelly, Shmoopsters.
- Pretty much unfazed by the death of an innocent girl, Eldric introduces his new crush, Leanne, to the game he and Briony play where they guess what people would be if they were something else.
- Cecil continues to make feeble attempts at Briony's attention.
- Mr. Larkin asks Briony to come sing with him.
- This is one complicated father daughter relationship. Briony refuses to sing with him, bitterly holding onto the fact that he gave up singing in the past. He calls her by her nickname—Briony Vieny—but she bitterly turns away from him.
- Something about the food they are eating reminds Briony of eel, which makes her feel sick.
- Cecil continues flirting with Briony as Eldric drunkenly flirts with Leanne.
- Frustrated and upset with everything that is happening around her, Briony runs out of the Alehouse to Hangman's Square, where she is confronted with Nelly's dead body.
- She reminds herself not to think too hard about everything or anything.