With the materials in place, John, Charles, and Uncle begin assembling the house at Beecher’s Hope. While John and Charles do the heavy lifting, Uncle, citing his “terminal lumbago,” conveniently avoids any real labor, choosing instead to supervise (or rather, just sit and complain). For several weeks, the house starts taking shape. Joists are placed, frames are raised, and tiles are hammered into place as the trio work tirelessly (well, two of them, at least). When the house is finally complete, they raise a toast to John’s new home—a symbol of his fresh start. Later, John sits down to write a heartfelt letter to Abigail, telling her about the hard work, Charles and Uncle’s help, and most importantly, how much he misses her and Jack. He hopes to convince her that he’s truly changed—but will she believe him?