The narrator is on his way to Australia, where he's going to work for a year. He asks if he can introduce him to a new roommate, a cousin from his father's side. Oh, yes, that's right, the cousin from the school days. The narrator wants to introduce the cousin to him immediately, so he tells him that they've made some rules about how they're going to treat each other, and that he should come and see the new guy first. He wants to tell the cousin that he can't change, but he also wants to make sure that he doesn't snap at her, because she won't be able to snap at him any more.