Anne recognized that Gilbert had every right to be disappointed in her. She had helped Roy Gardner cheat at Redmond. She waited years into her marriage to Gilbert to confess this to him. Even worse, Anne confessed it to Owen Ford long before she confessed it to him.

Gilbert had told Anne that he was disappointed with Anne but that he couldn't stop loving her. Anne understood. Anne needed to give Gilbert time to be less disappointed with her.

Gilbert got called again bright and early the next morning. As Anne and Susan dealt with the children's breakfast, Anne knew that now was not the time to tell Gilbert what she discovered about The Life-Book of Captain Jim. Anne was sick of thinking about anything that involved Owen Ford.

Susan went out for a while and then came back from her errands, breathless with excitement.

"Mrs. Doctor Dear! Mrs. Doctor Dear! You won't believe this! There's a man trapped in the Four Winds Cave!"

Anne finally pulled the rest of the story out of Susan.

The sandstone cave known as Four Winds Cave sat along the coast close to the Four Winds Lighthouse. The cave attracted spelunkers from all over North America.

A cave explorer named Floyd Collins had visited Four Winds Cave with his brother. Collins mistook a narrow tunnel for the real tunnel that he was supposed to use to exit the cave. Collins became stuck in a tight space (one that Anne later came to read was 25 cm by 46 cm) about 120 meters from the cave's entrance.

Collins had gotten stuck the previous afternoon. His brother summoned help. A rescue crew now attended to assist Collins using a rope-and-pulley system. Luckily, right now the rescuers could bring food and water to Collins.

"Oh, Susan!"

"Mrs. Doctor Dear, do you think that the doctor will be called to the cave?"

Anne said, "Susan, let's hope and pray that they are able to extract this gentleman before the doctor's assistance is needed."

Gilbert sent word several hours later that his medical assistance was indeed needed at the cave and to not expect him for dinner.

Well, there goes another night of sleep for Gilbert, Anne thought. Why can't people just stay the hell out of that cave?

Her own children would never explore caves. Not if she had anything to do with it. Not even if any of them decided to study Geology as a profession. They would have to be content with studying pictures of rocks in books.

Gilbert didn't come home after dinner, and he didn't come home before the kids went to bed.

Where was Gilbert? Still down at Four Winds Cave?

Anne tried to wait up for Gilbert, but she fell asleep.

At some point, Anne woke up to pounding on Ingleside's front door.

Anne and Susan opened the door to find Marshall Elliott and several other community leaders from Four Winds and the Glen. Miss Cornelia was also there.

Miss Cornelia put her arms around Anne. "Anne, dearie."

Miss Cornelia explained that during the attempted cave rescue, a rock collapse closed the entrance passageway. This stranded the man, Floyd Collins, in the cave and cut off his contact to food and water now.

There was more. Gilbert had been in the process of giving Collins medical treatment when the rock collapse happened. So now Gilbert, too, was stranded in Four Winds Cave, cut off from food and water.

Miss Cornelia explained that the rescuers could still maintain voice contact with Collins and Gilbert. The men in the cave could hear the rescuers and the rescuers could hear the men in the cave. Anne could come down to the cave and speak to Gilbert.

Anne dressed warmly for the trip to Four Winds Cave. Nights in the Maritimes often got quite chilly, even in June. It occurred to Anne that Gilbert had entered the cave wearing the outfit that he put on that summer, which was a suit of a wool fabric blend appropriate for daytime in the June. He had no cold-weather coat with him when he entered the cave. He was now cut off from them and they had no way to send him his winter coat or blankets.

Anne no longer cared if Owen Ford was a shitty writer who fabricated The Life-Book of Captain Jim. This no longer mattered.

Everything would cease to matter to Anne if Gilbert didn't come back to her, alive, from Four Winds Cave.