In this short scene, the two young lovers are on their way home from a shopping trip when they run into each other on the street. They are both embarrassed by the fact that their date is coming up, and the young lovers begin to argue about who is going to be the one to go home and buy the ice cream cone they've been looking for. The young lovers realize that the man they're arguing with is only interested in human girls, and that they can't possibly lose to the pretty, talented, and "adorable bloom" of a girl like Betsey. They're both shocked and horrified by the idea that they'll be beaten by someone who's not even in their social circle. The narrator explains that inertia is a "body reaction" towards an enemy, and if he disagrees with her, he disapproves of himself. If he doesn't like her, she has to choose her. This is "static electricity" , the narrator explains, and it's why he and Betsey are both so shocked. They both realize that it must have been because their glasses are so thick, so they couldn't even see each other's charm. They wonder if the world is trying to erase the foreign occurrence. The rain stops them from going out on Christmas Eve, and they realize that they