The chapter opens with a flashback to the previous chapter, in which we learn that the young man has just arrived at the castle. He asks the innkeeper if he can borrow a ring from his company's jewelry store. The innkeeper tells him that he can do so. The young man is excited to have a unique ring made for him. He tells the innkeeper that he owes a lot of favors to Madame Pernelle, and he wants to give her a ring as a token of his gratitude. He wants to ask her to design the ring for him, but he doesn't want to reveal the ring's design to anyone. He's afraid that if he reveals it to anyone, they'll think that he's trying to cheat on her. When the innkeeper asks him if he knows the size of the ring, he says that he does, but that he forgot to mention it to her. He also says that the man has only nine rings, so he can't ask her in the roundabout way that he would if he were to ask someone else. He says he'll be back