Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide, suicidal ideation, animal death, graphic violence, and death.

The protagonist observes the behavior of Richard Gittens’s sheep in the Dungeon paddock. All the paddocks have names, including Top Percy’s, Nursery, and Stone Yard. The protagonist does not understand these names, but she likes them. The sisters feed the lambs, and the previous spring, the abbey’s favorite was named Violet. When Violet went missing, everyone looked for her, but when they could not find her, they presumed her dead. Seven months later, Simone found Violet’s remains. The lamb was stuck behind the shed. They dug a hole for Violet, and afterward, the grass above her remained green. This year, there are no lambs.

One morning, at Lauds, the protagonist feels a heat rise within her, and briefly believes it might be God or a ghost. As she entertains this thought, it disappears, and she remembers how epilepsy was long confused with religious fervor.

The protagonist remembers how her mother never judged anyone, always respecting other people’s beliefs. When she encountered bigotry and hatred, she grew angry and did not back down, often earning ire from those around her.