Study Guide

Cry, the Beloved Country Chapter 17

By Alan Paton

Chapter 17

Kumalo asks Mrs. Lithebe if there is anywhere nearby for Absalom's girl to stay.
Mrs. Lithebe offers to take her in, but she'll have to sleep on the floor of the living room.
While he's glad to add a new member to the family, Kumalo can't help but notice that his money is starting to get tight.
At the prison, Absalom tells Kumalo that the two men who were with him during the burglary are swearing that they weren't there.
Absalom is super grateful that Kumalo is arranging for a lawyer and that he will be able to marry his (still nameless!) girlfriend even while he is in jail.
Back at the Mission House, Kumalo meets with a lawyer named Mr. Carmichael, who agrees to take Absalom's case for free.
He thinks it's super important that Kumalo confirms Absalom's account of what happened: that be broke into the house with these two other dudes, that Arthur Jarvis surprised him in the middle of a burglary, and that Absalom fired the gun at Arthur Jarvis by accident—out of fear.
While Kumalo's busy doing that, Mr. Carmichael will do his own research.

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