Part 12

chapters 27 - 28

Through the rumors of the townspeople we get bits and pieces of what happened that day at 124. Sethe had spied Mr. Bodwin and had run out to kill him with the ice pick. Denver had wrestled her down. Mr. Bodwin had been so intent on staring at the naked Beloved on the porch he hadn't noticed a thing. The thirty women had rushed to pin Sethe down, and when they looked back up Beloved had vanished.

Meanwhile, Denver has gotten a second job at a shirt factory, and on her way to work she meets Paul D on the road and smiles to him, inviting him back to 124. A few days later, Paul D walks in and finds Sethe on Baby Suggs's bed. Paul D promises to take care of her, whispering that "You your best thing, Sethe."

Explanation on next page >>