This chapter's epigraph comes from a passage in the Bible. It says, "Heaven's law" . It's a reference to the law of God, which says that no one should commit a crime unless it's committed by someone else. In other words, if you commit a murder, you're committing a crime against God. In this case, the woman who committed the murder in St. Baldalls is a murderer, a heretic, and a witch. She's not just a thief, she's also a murderer. She deserves to die. The sheriff, who's been harboring the woman, doesn't want to hand her over to the authorities. He's just making things even more difficult for the authorities by refusing to let the woman go to trial. The whole town has gathered to watch the trial, and the sheriff is the last person left in town