pp.135-172 Summary

Polly lies awake in her hotel room in the middle of the night. She thinks about what a relief it will be to see Sandy and Rhea, and to say goodbye to Zachary whose effect on Polly has been powerful and almost overwhelming. Polly remembers Max's reflection on the relationship between human free will and prearranged patterns in the universe. Our freedom, Max speculated, often comes in the way we choose to accept that over which we have no control, like death.

Polly remembers an afternoon at Beau Allaire. Polly and Ursula go swimming and find Max on the verandah with her sketchbooks when they return. Polly begins to look through the sketchbooks, all of which contain drawings from Max's many trips around the world. One of them contains vivid tropical drawings, and when Polly picks it up, Max reacts negatively...