The Black community of Philadelphia prepares for the attack by fleeing. Mr. Walters transforms his home into a fort. The Ellis family goes there for safety and to assist in the defense. Mr. Walters teaches Esther Ellis how to load a rifle. Then, all of the women and girls except Esther hide downstairs while the men wait for the attack. That night, they see many fires around the city. Then, the mob arrives. They throw rocks and then start shooting. In response, those in Mr. Walter’s house throw rocks and start shooting. The mob almost succeeds in breaking down the door when Caddy and Kinch drop boiling water with hot peppers on them, scaring them off.

Mr. Dennis goes out to gather more information. He comes back with news that the mob is planning on attacking the Garie residence. Mr. Ellis volunteers to go out and warn them. He is caught by the mob, which chases him onto a roof. He is hanging onto the chimney when they then cut off his fingers. He falls off the roof and is taken to the hospital by bystanders.

Mr. Garie is tending to his wife when he hears a mob in his front yard. He quickly has Mrs. Garie and the children leave out the back door, and they hide in the woodshed. Mr. Garie attempts to defend his family and home, but he is shot in the head and dies. While the mob ransacks the house, Mrs. Garie moans in pain in the woodshed. In the morning, Clarence finds a neighbor. The neighbors go to Mrs. Garie and see that she is dead with a newborn baby in her lap. The children are bereft and taken in by a neighbor.

That same morning, the Ellises wait for news of Mr. Ellis at Mr. Walters’s house. Mr. Walters goes to the Garies’ home to see if Mr. Ellis is there. When he arrives, he learns from Mr. Garie’s lawyer, Mr. Balch, of the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Garie and that Mr. Garie’s will is missing. Meanwhile, Esther goes to the Ellis residence to see if her father is there. She discovers that it has been burned to the ground. Mr. Walters and Esther return to Mr. Walters’s home and share the sad news with the rest of the Ellis family. They spend the rest of the day looking for Mr. Ellis, with no luck.

Mr. Walters communicates with Mr. Balch about the Garies’ burial. He tells Mr. Balch that they will not be permitted to be buried in the white-only Ash-grove cemetery and will have to be buried in the Black church graveyard. He also tells Mr. Balch that Clarence and Emily will be cared for at his house. Mr. Balch shares that he read a report in the newspapers about a badly beaten unidentified Black man in the hospital.

Mr. Walters goes to the hospital and sees that the man is Mr. Ellis. Mr. Ellis is badly hurt and may die. Mr. Walters returns to his home and breaks the news to Esther, who in turn breaks the news to her mother and sister. Mr. Walters says that, given the circumstances, the Ellis family are all to stay at his home for the time being.

The next day, the Ellis family goes to the hospital to see Mr. Ellis. He is very badly injured, and they are all very distressed.

Meanwhile, in Warmouth, Charlie is settling in well. One morning, Mr. Whately goes to Mrs. Bird and tells her that he has not had any success getting the board to allow Charlie to be enrolled in the academy. She resolves to send him to Sabbath school (Sunday school) nevertheless. That afternoon, a Miss Cass visits Mr. Whately, the superintendent of the Sunday school, with a proposal to open a Sunday school for Black people. He agrees. That Sunday, an illiterate woman named Aunt Comfort attends the class. She is learning her letters. Then, Charlie arrives. Miss Cass assumes that Charlie is also illiterate, but he quickly proves himself to be very bright. Aunt Comfort is very impressed, as is Mr. Whately. He invites Charlie to participate in the white catechism that afternoon. He does very well, even though he has a moment of nerves where he forgets the Lord’s Prayer until Aunt Comfort helps him. Mrs. Bird is very proud.