Chapter 6 Summary

Eleanor and Luke sit together in the summerhouse on a hot, sunny afternoon. Eleanor, worried that she will sound foolish, asks Luke to tell her something about himself. In the pause while he considers his answer, she wonders what his answer will tell her. If he says something very personal, she might construe that he cares for her. She is afraid he will reveal that he does not think highly of her. Finally, Luke responds that he never had a mother and was never loved. Eleanor is insulted at this blatant appeal for her sympathy. To her it sounds like a line Luke has used many times before with women. Even as she thinks this, she tells him she understands.

Luke's conversation trails off and Eleanor figures he is either working up the courage to say something intimate, or he is stalling in...