- Later in the evening, on the same day of Alexandra's visit to the Shabatas', Frank stays up late reading the newspaper, obsessed with thestory printed about a divorce in the community. The article lists all the extravagant expenses accrued by the husband, and Frank becomes outraged.
- Marie hates it when Frank reads the paper and gets so worked up about the affairs of the rich.
- Frank is obsessed with these stories. Like Lou, he is also a political agitator.
- It's been raining, and it's too wet to plough the next day. Frank heads over to a saloon in another town, while Marie stays home to churn butter.
- She hears Emil sharpening his scythe in her orchard. She goes down to meet him, saying she's there to pick cherries.
- Marie stops to talk swiftly about the rain and the wild roses, giving him instructions not to cut them. Then she runs down to pick cherries and Emil goes back to mowing.
- The narrator takes to describing the orchard. It's rained a lot this season, and the corn is abundant. The orchard has become totally overgrown with all sorts of weeds and wildflowers and butterflies fluttering about.
- Marie, who is sitting beneath the white mulberry tree, asks Emil what religion the Swedes practiced before Christianity. When he answers that he's not sure, Marie goes on to tell him that the ancient Bohemians worshipped trees, and that some rural folk still do. They believe certain trees bring good or bad luck.
- Marie says she thinks the linden trees are lucky. Though she's a good Catholic, she could picture herself worshipping trees.
- Emil doesn't think much of what she's saying, but she continues. She says she likes trees because of how resigned they are to their existence, and because of the knowledge they seem to have.
- Emil picks a handful of mulberries and drops them in Marie's lap.
- They start talking about Carl. Marie wonders whether Alexandra has feelings for him. Emil laughs at the idea, saying he doesn't think Alexandra even knows how to love.
- Marie disagrees. She says she can tell that Alexandra is in love. She adds that she likes Carl because he appreciates Alexandra more than Emil does.
- Emil scoffs. He and Alexandra are good friends, and he's not sure what else Marie expects. Plus, he likes Carl and enjoys talking to him about New York.
- Marie begs Emil not to think about moving away to the city. Emil says he has to go somewhere, and he's definitely not thinking about hanging around the farm.
- Emil starts to get angry with Marie as the conversation continues. Sometimes, he tells her, he wishes the Divide would just disappear. He's frustrated by his lack of skills and experience.
- Marie is hurt by his tone.
- Emil tells her in no uncertain terms that he's not a little boy anymore, and that she shouldn't mess around with him. He tells her to stop pretending—and if she doesn't try to understand what he means, he'll make her understand.
- Marie gets up, pale, and tells him that as far as she understands what he's saying, then their good times are over. But she insists that this will pass and that things will go back to the way they used to be (i.e. when they were just friends). She tells him she wishes he were Catholic, since the church could help him.
- Emil says he'll never pray not to have what he wants, even if it means he'll be damned for it.
- Marie leaves crying, saying their good times are over.
- Emil announces that they're definitely over, and that he doesn't expect to have any more of them.