Chapter 3 Summary

Quentin continues his quest for explanation. Most of what he relates in this chapter comes from his father's memory of what he was told by Quentin's grandfather. Rosa's Aunt, the stern, interfering woman who was determined that Ellen's wedding should be a grand affair, left them suddenly before Rosa's tenth birthday. At this time, Mr. Coldfield began to distance himself from his eldest daughter's family, and before long, they ceased contact altogether.

Rosa's first sight of Charles Bon was during his first visit to Sutpen's Hundred, in 1860. She saw him riding his horse through town. Henry has brought him from university in Mississippi, where the two have met and become friends. The narrative compares Bon to his father, Sutpen. It is through the larger perspective of Quentin's father that we recognize this relationship. Rosa was unaware of his identity. She mistook him for...