Chapters 17-18 Summary and Analysis

Jessica feels that she is living in a dream world in Bilbao with Esmond. They had free room and board from the Foreign Press Bureau. There is a great deal of poverty and starvation in Bilbao, and Jessica is amazed at the degree of poverty and the way the people live. The Press Bureau people give them a tour of the front. This is the only time they have any contact with the enemy. Their days fall into a routine - they gather the news in the morning and type the stories in the afternoon. This pays their expenses.

One day they receive a visit from the British pro-consul. He has a telegram from Anthony Eden, telling him to find Jessica and have her returned to London. They send a reply that the pro-consul has found Jessica but that...