Lenore just lets those weak excuses fall on deaf ears. She ignores Gideon, and so does everyone else. After a few minutes, the scout Esfir bursts up into the sky, does another lap, comes back to report again, and things resume their previous cadence, with Lenore chatting to the soldiers and quiet conversations among the group, but there's a bubble of silence directly surrounding Gideon.

They stop for lunch in a clearing between the snowy trees, and Gideon is given a portion of cold bread and cheese, the same as Lenore eats. It's very soft bread and very fine cheese, and the vampires all drink a bit from flasks which are not offered to Gideon. When the brief meal and rest is concluded, everyone mounts up again. This time, Lenore climbs into the closed sleigh with her maid, and Lenore's horse is tied to a lead, but there's still not a word from anyone to Gideon.