How Green Was My Valley

Reverend Gruffydd delivers a sermon to an angry crowd of people. Earlier in the day, “a little girl had been savaged on the mountain” (187). The girl is now dead and the crowd of 200 or 300 is searching for the killer. The crowd visits the pubs and the parts of the village where the poorest people live. Men are rounded up and questioned. Eventually, they reach Idris Atkinson. Reverend Gruffydd catches Atkinson in a lie about his whereabouts. Bloodied clothes are found around and in his house. His clothes are removed and “deep scratches” (192) are revealed on his chest. Reverend Gruffydd calls forward Cynlais Pritchard, the father of the murdered girl. The priest asks the crowd whether they should hand Atkinson over to the police or execute him themselves. Cynlais and the crowd demand vigilante justice. Cynlais and his sons take Atkinson away into the night while Reverend Gruffydd leads the crowd in prayer. As the men return to their homes, Huw sees a fire burning on the dark side of the mountain. When a police officer visits the next day, no one answers his questions, so he leaves. Huw watches the funeral preparations.