A Mercy: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Chapter 7 resumes Florens’s first person narrative. Florens describes how she finally fell asleep in the forest, waking up whenever something in the woods made noises. Florens dreams of walking cherry trees ripe with fruit. In her dream, one tree bends down towards her and she wakes up screaming. When she wakes, the trees are fruitless and exactly where they were when she fell asleep. Florens sleeps again.

Florens wakes up to sunlight. Florens heads northwest until she reaches a patch of thick brush. She pushes through, reaching an open meadow. Florens then reaches apple trees. Florens suddenly stops, hearing the sound of hooves. Several young native boys ride up to her. The men circle and smile at Florens, who is afraid, and speak in a language she does not understand. Florens drops to her knees out of fright. One of the riders dismounts his horse and offers Florens a drink from his canteen and a strip of leather to chew on. The boy then runs and jumps onto his horse, and the three riders disappear.

Florens aims north once again, following the hoof prints of the boys on horses. Florens thinks of a time when she was having sex with the Blacksmith and he put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Lina knew what was going on between them, and she told Florens one night while they were going to bed to be on her guard. Florens, though, was too tired to answer. She thought instead of the Blacksmith.

As Florens was falling asleep, Lina told her about her bad experience with her lover, with whom she met in secret. Florens’s sleepiness disappeared and she sat up to listen to Lina’s story. Lina talked about how the man did not drink rum the second or third time they met, but he hit her with his hand. Then one day he punched her, and another day whipped her. The abuse progressed. Lina described walk through town wiping blood from her nose, with the townspeople believing she was drunk because the pain made her stumble.

The Presbyterians stared at Lina when she appeared covered in blood. Ultimately they decided to sell her. They forced Lina to sleep outside and eat from a bowl “like a dog” because they did not want her in the house. Jacob purchased Lina, but first she put two rooster heads in her lover’s shoes to curse him.

Lina focused her attention back on Florens to tell her that she must be wary of men. She asked Florens if the Blacksmith planned to take Florens with him. Florens had not thought of this question, knowing that the Blacksmith cannot marry her because she is a slave. But Florens is determined to go where he goes, and knows that since Rebekka sent her to find him, her trip is lawful.

Florens walks through the forest, thirsty and tired. She arrives in a part of the woods where cows are grazing, thinking there must be a village nearby. Florens sees a path in the woods and follows it. She sees two cottages, but there are no signs of life inside. There is a church off in the distance so Florens assumes the villagers are at prayer. Needing shelter for the night, Florens decides to knock on one of the doors. Florens spies a light in a house, and she knocks on that door.

A woman with red hair answers the door. She is suspicious of Florens and asks who sent her there. Florens tells the woman she is alone and she is only looking for shelter. The woman asks Florens more questions about whether anyone is with her, if Florens is a spirit from another world, and whether Florens is a Christian or a heathen. Florens tells the woman she is an orphan, and finally the woman lets her in.

The woman tells Florens her name is Widow Ealing. She excuses herself for her hesitancy in helping Florens, telling her there is evil about. She gives Florens porridge and bread to eat, which Florens devours with a thank-you. Florens notices that there is a girl lying on one of the beds in the room. The girl’s black eyes are looking in different directions. Florens finishes her food and the Widow asks why she is traveling alone. Florens explains that she is on an errand to save her sick mistress.

The girl lying in the bed sits up and says something about death. Florens notices that the girl appears to be around her age. The Widow does not respond. The girl then stands and limps to the table, showing Florens the bleeding cuts on her legs. The Widow explains that the girl is her daughter, Jane, and that the cuts on her legs are to “save her life.”

Widow Ealing closes the shutters and blows out the lamp for bed before saying her prayers. Daughter Jane goes back to her bed. Florens lies near the fireplace in the dark and sleeps, occasionally awakened by the Widow and Jane’s intermittent speech. She overhears Daughter Jane ask Widow Ealing how she can prove she is not a demon, and then hears the Widow respond that “they” will decide. They continue to talk about demons, God, the devil, and how Daughter Jane will be judged.

Widow Ealing tells Jane that God will not abandon her, and that she will be safe because, unlike her, demons do not bleed. Florens thinks that that is a good thing to know, and that her own mother should be teaching her these things. Florens falls asleep again, then wakes up to animal sounds outside. The Widow begins her morning routine, and Florens goes to the commode. When she returns she sees Widow Ealing opening up the wounds on Jane’s legs again.

The Widow, Jane, and Florens have breakfast, praying beforehand. After the prayer, Florens moves to cross herself like she learned in Catholic Maryland, and Jane stops her with a shake of her head. They eat except for Jane, who eats nothing. Florens washes the dishes. Suddenly, Florens hears footsteps on the path, and visitors approach the cottage.

The Widow invites the visitors inside. She shows the visitors Jane’s wounds, insisting that Jane cannot be a demon because demons do not bleed. The visitors then turn to look at Florens. The Widow explains that Florens is a guest. One of the women says she has never seen a black person, and the rest of the visitors say she is “the Black Man.” There is a child with the visitors, and when she sees Florens she cries inconsolably. Her mother takes her outside.

Florens feels she is in danger. She decides to show them the letter that Rebekka gave her to explain her errand, and so she removes it from her stocking and holds it out to them. None of the visitors will touch it, so the Widow breaks the seal on the letter and unfurls it. Only one of the people in the room, a man, seems to know how to read. He reads it aloud. Rebekka justifies Florens traveling alone in the letter and confirms the necessity of her errand.

The visitors discuss the letter. They then tell Florens to take off her clothes. They examine her without touching her. Finally they tell Florens to dress and they leave the room. As Florens puts her clothes back on, she hears quarreling. The visitors discuss whether Satan could have written the letter. When Florens reenters the room, the child who is with the visitors screams, and the visitors leave.

The visitors depart with the promise that they will consider the letter and return when they’ve decided if it came from Satan. The Widow kneels to pray, and then she leaves to go find the sheriff. Jane cleans her leg wounds and waits with Florens. As the sun begins to go down, Jane boils duck eggs and wraps them in a blanket. The she motions to Florens to follow her.

The two girls run through the pasture and into the forest. They arrive at a stream, and Jane hands Florens the eggs, telling her to leave and showing her the right way to the village where Florens needs to go to find the Blacksmith. Florens thanks her, and Jane kisses Florens’s forehead. As Florens walks away, she turns back and asks Jane if Jane is a demon. Jane smiles and says yes, then tells Florens to get on her way.

Now alone, Florens feels drained and worries about the fact that she left the letter with the visitors. Now Florens has no documents stating her status and affirming the legality of her presence. Florens thinks of her mother again. Then she thinks of the Blacksmith, anticipating the comfort and safety she will feel again when she is with him.