His first words to Susannah had an import she did not expect.
"That young lady you mentioned to me--I said she was dead because you were half crazy, and would have gone back to her, but I worked round till I found her; she got to the city of Far West right enough." After a while he said, "That young lady and some other of our folks have got horses and they're going into Illinois now.

Most of our folks are walking.

It's about as bad as can be, but I guess you'll have to go.
We'll be safe enough, for as long as we go straight on the Gentiles are bound to let us pass.

I tried to get some better sort of a way for you and her, but there ain't no way unless we would have sworn we weren't Saints and gone pretending to be Gentiles, but even then we haven't got the money." Susannah was thrilled with excited distress.

She was not prepared to make an abrupt decision, and it appeared that if she desired to join this company she must go that evening or not at all.
During the hours of the morning her mind cowered, dismayed.