Mrs. Polk's house is the setting for the final stages of Eileen and Rebecca's confrontation with Rita Polk: in its basement, they wait for the pills to take effect, then carry her upstairs and out to a car. The house's narrow route from basement to front door turns a secret plan into a difficult physical task, while Rebecca's return inside and Eileen's departure begin to separate their paths.

Setting and Layout

The scene moves through a small number of distinct spaces within Mrs. Polk's house. Eileen and Rebecca are in the basement with Rita Polk; from there, they must take her up the stairs and through the front door. Outside, frozen steps and a snow-covered path lead toward the sidewalk and the car. The text establishes no broader description of the house, but these passageways shape the action: the plan depends on getting Rita Polk from the basement to the street without attracting notice.

The Basement

After the pills take effect, Eileen and Rebecca wait in the basement. Their exchange turns from the immediate problem of Rita Polk's condition to Eileen's proposed plan: to take her to Eileen's father's house and use his alcoholism to make the police suspect him. Rebecca asks how they will get Rita Polk there. The basement is thus not only where they hold her, but where the plan is tested and their next actions are decided.

From the House to the Car

Rebecca agrees to help move Rita Polk. Eileen takes her by the shoulders while Rebecca holds her feet, and they lift her up the stairs, pausing briefly before Rebecca urges them to continue. Rebecca says she will clean up inside and make sure no evidence is left behind, while Eileen is to go ahead to her father's house. Before they carry Rita Polk out, Rebecca covers her with her robe. They negotiate the icy steps and snow-covered path, then place her in the car.

Narrative Significance

The house contains the shift from confrontation to attempted escape: the women leave the basement with a plan, but the effort to remove Rita Polk exposes its physical and practical costs. Their movements also divide their roles. Rebecca turns back into the house to clean, while Eileen calls after her from outside and sets off with Rita Polk. Mrs. Polk's house is therefore the point at which their shared undertaking begins to split into separate tasks and uncertain commitments.