The scene opens in St. Patrick's Cathedral in London. It's the day after Valentine's Day, and the narrator complains that he's not used to studying so hard. He's just arrived from a trip to the Middle East, where he saw a "fruitless" strawberry. He thanks the narrator for his kind words, and asks him to kiss him. He tells the narrator that if he had known Valentine was so kind to him, then his fate would have changed long ago. The narrator says that if Valentine had known that, he would've gone to the bottom of the social ladder. He then asks the narrator to allow him to visit his family in England. He says that he wants to know more about the man, so that he can "support you" with his "whole body."