Chapter 2, Metropolis Summary

Ed makes junior partner in his firm and starts building a savings account for Ellen. He notices that an article in the paper declares that New York City is now an official metropolis after a bill is signed into law. A fire breaks out in the night, and Ed goes out to watch. A six-story tenement building is burning with people hanging from the ledges. Ed observes an Italian man who has a wife trapped in the fire, and as Ed works his way through the crowd back to his apartment, he catches the scent of coal oil on the clothing of the man who probably started the fire, an impression that lingers.

Mr. Perry studies a piece of real estate with an agent who claims that the land is a sure investment. Mr. Perry does not seem convinced as he...