In this chapter, the reader is introduced to the "little beast," the main character of the novel. He is a young man who has just returned from Hong Kong. He has been sent to China by his employer, the Governess. The Governess has not yet returned to Hong Kong, and he has not heard from her either. When he does hear from her, however, he is shocked to learn that she has not returned to the mainland, and that she is not in Hong Kong at all. He asks her why she is so clingy, and she tells him that it is because she is dependent on humans.