The Night Gardener

A few days later, Molly brings Constance tea in the garden, noticing how pale the woman is. Molly asks Constance why she stays in the house if it makes her sick, and Constance admits that she stays because of the tree. She says that without the tree, the family “would be completely unmoored” (233). Molly thinks about the letters, wondering if they were written by the tree to keep her close. She tries to burn them, but she cannot bring herself to do it. A sudden crash sends Molly running outside, where she finds Constance lying on the ground, unmoving.

Two days later, Constance still has not awakened. Molly follows Mr. Windsor to the tree room, where he begs for a cure, only to receive a flood of coins. Sobbing, he tells Molly that he brought his family to the house after he lost his money on bad investments, believing that the tree would be the answer to his problems. Mr. Windsor leaves the room, and the hole fills with sea water and another letter for Molly that “bob[s] up and down, waiting for her” (243).