Roy Watzka’s arrest for stealing morphine turns on a confession that is both incriminating and compassionate: he admits the theft, but explains that he did it because Eva Waldvogel needed the drug. The scene shifts Delphine Watzka’s fear from the prospect of a murder charge to relief at the limited, procedural nature of the arrest, while bringing Fidelis Waldvogel’s quiet support for her father into view.

The Confession and Its Motive

Roy does not deny the theft when Delphine visits him. Asked about a lawyer, he responds that of course he committed it; everyone knows, he says, because they saw him, and he had to do it. His plain admission is startling to Delphine, who had tried to reassure him that he had done nothing and would soon be out. The conversation leaves little room for a mistaken-identity mystery: Roy is not contesting who took the morphine.

He then supplies the reason. Roy says Fidelis told Albert Hock what happened immediately, and that Eva had to have the drug. He insists he was going to get it for her because he cared for her: she had been good and kind to him, making him a thick sandwich and understanding his thirst. The details make the theft an act of attachment and gratitude, not a denial of responsibility. Roy accepts that he broke the law while framing his choice through the kindness he remembers from Eva.

Delphine’s Fear and the Arrest

Roy’s mention of Eva abruptly changes Delphine’s understanding of the situation. She connects his confession to the stolen morphine and asks Sheriff Hock why Roy is being charged only now. Her question is pointed: if the authorities knew what he had done, why did they not arrest him at once? For a moment before Roy explains, Delphine has to contain him, aware that Hock is listening for what he will say and what she will say in response.

Hock tells her that the drugstore owner, Sal Birdy, reported the theft to the state commission before Hock could inform him. Birdy regrets reporting it, Hock says, but the commission has now demanded a full investigation. The arrest is carried out to satisfy the official record, and Roy is to be released when the paperwork is finished. Hock calls it a formality and walks away slightly embarrassed. His explanation distinguishes the arrest from a new, escalating prosecution, although the commission’s investigation has made formal action unavoidable.

Relief, Bail, and Its Consequence

Hock’s explanation releases Delphine from the frightening chain of possibilities she had imagined: a lawyer, a trial, a jury, a judge, and the implications of a murder charge. She tries to maintain an appropriately indignant tone, but inwardly wants to cover her face and breathe. The immediate change is not that Roy’s act is undone, but that Delphine can stop anticipating the worst outcome and wait for the paperwork to be completed.

Roy prolongs her visit by talking about his chickens, giving instructions about their individual temperaments and pairings. He identifies two black rosecombs that perch together and describes a pair of bantams as star-crossed. The homely subject contrasts with the arrest and shows him reluctant to end the conversation. Delphine stays with him for a while longer, listening rather than forcing the moment to close.

Afterward, Delphine tries to delay thanking Fidelis for paying her father’s bail by finding more work in the meat shop. She moves the meat from one display case to another, scrubs the first with vinegar and water, and carefully arranges the trays with green waxed-paper decorations. At last she stops, closes the sliding doors, and tells Fidelis directly that he paid Roy’s bail. Fidelis acknowledges it, wiping his hands on his apron. The gesture makes his practical support part of the aftermath: the arrest exposes Roy’s past decision to help Eva, while Fidelis’s bail payment helps Delphine face the present danger to her father.