In this passage, in a reversal of the scene in the valley on the island, Ruth is the one hiding from Sylvie. Ruth believed, back on the island, that Sylvie was playing a game of hide-and-seek that was perhaps meant to torment her; now, she cruelly turns the game around on Sylvie, knowing that Sylvie can’t go around calling for her lest she draw even more attention from the disapproving townspeople. This is another instant of Ruth lashing out and testing the boundaries of Sylvie’s love for and devotion to her.