Summary

As the second interlude begins, Maurice is living in New York and is the founder of a literary magazine, Stori. He and his staff sort through hundreds of submissions and every quarter publish the best, an assist to aspiring writers. As the section begins, Maurice was sitting at his desk speaking with Henrietta James. He had published one of her stories, resulting in a debut novel. She had submitted another piece to Maurice, but he had rejected it. Henrietta came to see him, furious that he had not chosen to publish it. She was there to offer him a second chance at running the story, an offer Maurice repeatedly refuse. The phone interrupted their debate and Maurice left to take the call. His son's school called to ask him to come to their office as soon as possible.

At school, the...