Chapter 7 Summary

Arturo recalls his first encounter at the Alta Loma hotel with Mrs. Hargraves, who made it clear she would not accept Mexicans or Jews in her hotel. He tells her he is a writer and inscribes one of his magazines to her in flowery language. Mrs. Hargraves informs him she does not like dog stories and insists to him that the city of Boulder, where he is from, is not in Colorado but in Nebraska. She will not be wrong about this, and implies he is being dishonest. Knowing he will not win this argument, Arturo finally agrees that Boulder is in Nebraska.

Arturo is haunted by Mrs. Hargraves' description of her husband and by the fact that his belongings are still in the hotel just as he left them. Bert did not smoke or drink, and his essence threateningly follows Arturo for...