This chapter's epigraph comes from a conversation between the narrator and a young man. The narrator asks the young man if he is the lantern catcher this year. The young man replies that he is, and the narrator is shocked to learn that he has prepared a rope for the ceremony. He is also shocked to discover that the young woman is also a lantern catcher. He wonders how he could have prepared such a rope, and wonders aloud why his wife has asked him to pray for her while they are enjoying the wine together. He also wonders aloud how he will be able to steal the wine from the woman's hands. He finally decides to follow the plan and go back to the