The narrator is in the middle of a conversation with the Governess when suddenly he hears the sound of someone's footsteps and realizes that it is Caius. The Governess tells him that she has just returned from a trip with the bus guide and that she is feeling very ill. She asks him to take her pants off so she can get some fresh air, but he refuses, saying that if she just waits a little longer, it will "go down" . He tells her that he has been following her all the time and that his fingers and tongue have been touching her nerves. Caius says that his symptoms are getting worse and that he will treat them. He says that he is thrusting a mushroom into his thigh and that it creaks against his mushroom. He asks Caius what is happening to his symptoms, and she says that her symptoms are also getting worse. She says that the temperature is hotter than hers and that hers is getting bigger. He thanks her and says that even though he knows this is treatment, he feels like he is doing something dirty. She thanks him and tells him to let the mushroom out. She then asks him if he imagined that the bus was turning into a mushroom when he was in the bath. He replies that he did, and Caius apologizes for being mad at him. He then asks her if she knew that she was having mushroom syndrome when she imagined the bus turning into the mushroom. She replies that she did, too, and he asks her to give him an apology as a symbol of their love