The chapter opens with a soliloquy in which the narrator laments the fact that no one has come to his rescue yet. He asks the reader to imagine what it must be like for a black dog to turn white. The narrator asks if it is too cruel to have to send over his child-hood friend. He also asks if he can help just one more time. He tells the reader that he is close to losing his mind and that he does not want to die. He thanks the reader for making him drink so much. He says that he would like to send him over to find out what is going on with the "char acter" , but he knows that it would be too soon for him to do so. He feels that he has taken a step forward in life and that this is his reward for his efforts. He then asks if the townspeople would like him to be their "assis tant" . He replies that more hands would be better than one person. He adds that he used to be a nun and that if a god were to be too small, then he would be a "treacherous cated". He then says that with all of the new things that have come to the town, he no longer needs to stay small. He is happy to have someone else in charge of the town. He comments that the townspeople think it is strange that he wears a nurse's outfit, even though he is a doctor.