When the narrator arrives at the house of the Governess, he is greeted by her son, who asks him to come pick him up. The Governess tells him that he is tired and wants to go to the store to buy some food. When he arrives, she asks him if he wants to help her with his homework. He tells her that he needs to write it down and he will read it out loud to her. She asks him what is wrong with his hand and he says that his father beat him when he was a child and wants him to go into military school and become a political leader.