Continuation of Brown's conversation with the sheriff

Continuation of Brown's conversation with the sheriff
Brown told the sheriff about having discovered that Christmas was
sleeping with Joanna Burden. Brown also said that Christmas had hinted
that he had killed Joanna. But the sheriff implied that Brown
himself might be the culprit. Then Brown said that Christmas had
admitted to being part black.

Even without any proof, this accusation seems to change everyone's
attitude. People seem to regard having falsely passed for white as a
more serious offense than murder. This example of Jefferson's attitude
to blacks is at least the third you've read so far. The mill workers
were glad to see Joanna Burden's house burning because they hated
her for being friendly to blacks. And for hiring black servants
Hightower aroused the wrath of the town and the K.K.K.

Byron relates that the sheriff locked Brown up anyhow. Hightower
worries about what the people will do with Christmas when they catch
him. And Byron, who sti...