Tender is the Night Book 2, Chapter 23

The concierge at the hotel knocked on Baby's hotel room door in the middle of the night and told Baby that Dick has been in a fight with the police and that he was in jail. Dick had promised the taxi driver money for delivering the message to the concierge at Baby's hotel. Baby immediately headed to the police station and arrived to hear Dick screaming, asking if there were any English or Americans. Baby was furious when she saw Dick. Baby yelled at the police, who didn't speak English, and went to the American Embassy.

Topic Tracking: English 11

When Baby arrived at the Embassy, she tried to get someone to help her but they refused to do anything until 9:00, because that was when the consulate opened. Baby begged and pleaded and cried, but they still refused to do anything until 9:00. They argued back and forth for a while. They gave her the address of the consulate and told her that is all they could do. She kept harassing them so they escorted her out.

Baby went and got Collis at his hotel, after convincing the concierge that they were not having an affair. She found him passed out naked in his bed. She took him to the police station with her so that he could stay with Dick while she went to see the consul.. Baby waited and finally got to talk to the consul at 9:00, but he made her wait another half an hour. Baby started yelling at the secretary and demanded that the consul come to the jail with her immediately. Finally, she was successful and the vice-consul accompanied her to the station.

Dick was ashamed of himself and he felt like a criminal. Collis asked Dick if he wanted revenge for what had been done to him, but Dick said no because he knew that he was at fault. Swanson, the friendly vice-consul came to speak with Dick. He told Dick that it was not smart to try to fight Italians. After some talk among the lawyers and the carabinieri, Dick was set free. He got in the cab with Baby and they gave him some morphine for his pain. Baby felt satisfied that she now possessed a moral superiority over Dick.