The Water Dancer

Hiram realizes that if the coin is there, then he really must have been in the field. Feeling faint, he closes his eyes and opens them to see Thena there. She ushers him back to the house, telling him he needs to get rest. The next day, Roscoe urges Hiram to rest while he can, as soon he will be put back to hard work again. However, Hiram is tormented by his thoughts, and feels that working will be “the only escape.” He sees Corrine Quinn’s carriage coming up the road. Ever since Maynard’s death, Corrine has been regularly visiting Howell to lead him in prayer.

Hiram goes to the shed where Howell keeps furniture in need of restoration and gets to work on a mahogany highboy. Thena sees him and tries to order him back to bed, but Hiram ignores her. Working on the highboy brings him a profound feeling of peace. The next morning, he is returning to continue his work when he runs into Hawkins, who tells him that Corrine would like to speak with him. Hiram finds Corrine speaking with Howell, fondly sharing memories of Maynard, their hands clasped together. When Hiram enters, Howell exists, leaving him with Corrine and her two servants, Hawkins and Amy.

Hiram thanks Hawkins for saving his life, and Hawkins replies that it was Hiram who got himself out of the river—Hawkins found him lying on the grass. Corrine notes that they were all supposed to be “family,” and that she doesn’t see why that should not still happen despite Maynard’s death. She says she’s heard that Hiram is a “genius,” but understands that his “genius must be kept hidden.” This surprises Hiram, who is not used to the Quality speaking like this. When Hiram attempts to make a polite comment about Maynard, Corrine interrupts him, saying that she knows he was a “buffoon” but that she loved him anyway.   

Corrine observes that Hiram had been Maynard’s “right arm,” and that following Maynard’s death he probably doesn’t know what to do with himself. She asks about Maynard’s death, and Hiram tells her that Maynard saved him, hoping that it will provide her some relief. Corrine thanks him for telling her this. She then asks what Hiram is going to do now that he will no longer be working personally for Maynard, and Hiram replies, “I go where I am called.” Corrine indicates that she might like him to work for her. He is forced to confront his own status as property and worries that this means he will have to leave Lockless, the only home he’s ever had. 

Maynard’s body is never found. The enslaved people at Lockless work hard restoring the house in preparation for Christmas and the arrival of the extended Walker family. Hiram greets the guests, pleased to see black people who remember him from childhood and who knew Rose. On Christmas Day, the Tasked divide themselves so that half work on preparing a feast for the white people, and the other half on making the feast that will take place on the Street. Sitting around a bonfire, Hiram’s childhood friend Conway observes how in death, Maynard is being portrayed as a saint—a total contrast to how he was perceived when he was alive.

Thena observes that Howell’s family members are “flattering” him regarding Maynard because they want to inherit his land when he dies. She then walks off, and Hiram follows her. However, sensing that she wants to be alone, he leaves her again. Back at the bonfire, Conway’s sister Kat is sharing a story about how Hiram’s grandmother, Santi Bess, walked into the Goose, taking 48 enslaved people with her. Georgie dismisses the story as nonsense, protesting that it is told and re-told every year. According to the myth, Santi Bess transported herself and the 48 others back to Africa through the water. Hiram reflects that the idea is “preposterous.”

Though Hiram agrees with Georgie, others around them are annoyed with how sure of his own correctness Georgie seems to be. The conversation moves on; before long people start playing music, and Sophia gets up to water dance. Many others dance as well, but Hiram keeps his eyes on Sophia. Seeing him, she walks over and gives him the jar to drink. He is shocked to find it is ale—he assumed it was water—but after she gently teases him, he drinks the whole thing. Sophia suggests they go on a walk together. They go to a gazebo near the ice-house and sit, drinking more ale until they both feel drunk.

Hiram and Sophia discuss Thena, and Sophia observes that she’s been “soft” with Hiram, which is surprising. Hiram feels full of desire for Sophia. He worries that Corrine may soon take him away from Lockless. He and Sophia link arms, and they gaze up at the starry sky together.