Part Two, Chapters Eight through Ten Summary

Four and a half months after the close of the previous chapter, Felix wakes in his room at Oxford. Felix has a cold sore that has lingered for two months. The cold sore first appeared around the same time the family received news of Gabriel.

First a telegram informed the family that Gabriel was missing. A later telegram corrected the first but did not give details of Gabriel's condition. The family received a letter from Bilderbeck that explained that Gabriel remained in a German hospital because of severe wounds.

Felix decides to skip his morning appointment, and he goes see his friend Holland. When he arrives at Holland's room, Felix thinks about how he is fascinated by Holland's family. That family socializes with a more artistic and literary crowd. Felix also thinks about...