After visiting Poe, Emily returns to the cottage and finds Wendell absent again. Emily concludes that Wendell is still searching for his door in secret and resents that he will not trust her enough to involve her. While pacing the cottage, Emily notices how thoroughly Wendell has transformed it, including leaving no dust and completing acceptable diagrams of basalt formations for their paper. Emily tries to work, but the soft winter weather leaves her restless, so she goes outside to chop wood for exercise.

Emily struggles with the axe until Lilja and Margret arrive after helping unload supplies at the dock. They invite Emily for wine, and Emily awkwardly refuses in a way that nearly offends them before Lilja kindly changes the subject and offers a lesson in wood-splitting. Lilja demonstrates proper stance and technique, showing Emily how to read cracks in the grain and avoid knots. Under Lilja's patient instruction, Emily manages several successful blows and feels proud of herself, though her progress remains uneven because she lacks Lilja's strength and still feels uneasy handling a dangerous tool after the earlier incident with Wendell.

Once they have made a small pile of firewood, Lilja and Margret help Emily carry it inside, and Emily invites them to stay for tea. The sisters admire the cottage, and when Lilja asks whether Wendell is home, both young women are plainly relieved to learn that he is not. Emily realizes that, despite their gratitude for Wendell's role in rescuing them, they are still genuinely afraid of him. The three women then settle into easier conversation about Emily's research and her coming ICODEF presentation with Wendell.

During tea, Margret abruptly asks whether Emily and Wendell are romantically involved. Emily denies it and calls Wendell a colleague and friend, but Margret's remark that Wendell looks at Emily in a particular way unsettles her. When the subject shifts, Emily explains that she has no attachment at home and mentions only one past relationship, with Leopold at Cambridge, prompting teasing from Lilja and Margret about how "choosy" she is. Their joking leads into stories about Lilja's past romances, and Emily finds herself laughing with them.

After tea, Margret again tries to persuade Emily to come to the tavern, but Emily refuses. Lilja intervenes, says they should return home to help with supper, and offers to come back the next day for another wood-chopping lesson. Emily gladly accepts, surprised by how much she enjoyed both the practical lesson and the sisters' company, especially in so small and manageable a social setting.