Summary

Kumalo takes comfort in his young nephew as he worries about his own son. Msimangu takes Kumalo to the Shanty Town in Orlando. The houses there are rigged together from sacks, bits of iron, and old wood. They offer little shelter from harsh weather. Kumalo and Msimangu meet a nurse who knew Absalom, and they follow her directions to the house of the Hlayshwayos where he was staying. The woman who lives there directs them to a nearby reformatory where Absalom was sent when he got into some trouble. Kumalo fears the worst at this news, wondering what bad behavior his son has gotten into. The young white man who works in the reformatory office tells them that Absalom is no longer there because a young girl showed up one day and claimed she was pregnant with Absalom’s baby. Absalom was behaving...