Chapter 4 Summary

The next morning, Francis approaches the sea of debris surrounding Rosskam's junk shop. He meets Rosskam and settles on a price of seven dollars for working until dark; Francis feels he deserves more for the heavy physical labor, but resentfully accepts that beggars can't be choosers. He's worried about Helen, who hadn't shown up at the mission to have her morning coffee with him. His worry has been tempered by a story he read that morning in the local newspaper. Martin Daugherty, the newspaperman who used to live next door to Francis, the same man who put in a good word with Francis' attorney resulting in a reduced fee, has written an article in support of Francis' son. Billy had gotten into some trouble recently for his involvement in kidnapping the nephew of Patsy McCall. Patsy, once Francis' friend, has gone on to...