On Monday, January 18, Martha Ballard rides to Dawin’s Wharf to visit Sam Dawin. Sam initially reacts defensively because he assumes Martha has come to question him about why May visited the doctor, but Martha tells him she has only come to congratulate the newlyweds and bring a delayed wedding gift. Her calm response and mention of her own hurried start with Ephraim persuade Sam to trust her enough to invite her inside.

Inside the new house, Martha meets May Dawin by the hearth. When May tries to rise, she becomes dizzy and vomits into a bucket at her feet. Martha quickly examines her, confirms she has no fever, and recognizes from May’s symptoms and Sam’s reaction that May is pregnant; May then admits she has missed two menstrual cycles.

Martha feels anger not at the pregnancy itself, but at the gossip it will invite in Hallowell. Seeing that May is frightened and ashamed, Martha comforts her directly, telling her that no child is conceived apart from God’s will and that she will not allow anyone to speak badly of May or the baby in her presence. She then mothers May through the nausea until the worst of it passes.

Afterward, Martha deliberately eases the couple’s shame by sharing what her work as a midwife has taught her: many children in town are conceived before marriage, even if they are later passed off as early births. By speaking openly, Martha gives Sam and May both reassurance and silence, making clear that she understands their situation and will not expose them.

Martha then gives May a bottle of herbal syrup for urinary troubles common among newly married women and presents the second gift she brought: a handmade Wedding Rings quilt. May is moved to tears by the kindness. As Martha leaves, she tells Sam not to be too hard on himself, but Sam and May exchange a look and his smile fades, suggesting that Martha’s reassurance has not removed all of their private worry.