The chapter opens with a description of the hotel where the narrator ended up staying. He tells us that he stayed there because it was quieter than the one he was staying in before, and because he didn't want to be seen with anyone. He also tells us about the man who worked for him, who used to drive him away from the shop, and the shovel that he used to use in the shop. The narrator asks the boss if he was just trying to laugh at him for not breaking up with his ex-wife. The boss says that he was laughing at him because he did not have the courage to break up with her. He then asks the narrator what she wants, and she says that she wants him to stay with her because she needs him. She then tells the boss that she was insolent when she saw him with her ex-husband, and that she would like to see him again.