Summary

Chapter III takes place in River Westbourne, London, in 1951. Helena is now sixty years old. She worked as a shop assistant in a bookshop. One day, a famous painter came into the bookshop and asked Helena if she would model for him. Helena was pleased something out of the ordinary had happened to distract her from the fact that her daughter Anna (named after John’s mother) had recently moved a five hour drive away to work in a hospital. Helena posed naked for the painter. She asked him why she had to be undressed if he was only painting her face and he replied that the nudity made her vulnerable which made her face more honest. However, after some time, the painter complained that Helena’s face was not honest despite the nudity. He asked what would make Helena be...