Summary

Maria told Raif that she saw him the first day he came to the gallery and that she and many others had noticed what a profound affect her painting had had on him. Maria had gone to the gallery every day and watched Raif staring at the painting. Sometimes she would sit with him but he would not notice her. Maria said she regretted speaking to Raif that day because afterwards he never came back to the gallery. Maria laughed at Raif’s difficulty separating himself from Frau van Tiedemann the night before, comparing him to a little girl. She told Raif that she and Frau van Tiedemann are cousins. Maria asked Raif to walk her home.

As they walked, Maria told Raif that she is an unusual woman and that many people find her difficult to get along with. She complained that...