Chapter Two Summary

The daughter of Laurence Clements, a professor at Waindell College whose most popular course is about analyzing gestures, and his wife, Joan, has recently left home to live with her new husband. As such, the married couple have a room available in their house which they intend to lease. While discussing some of the people they will have over that night to meet a man named Professor Entwistle from Goldwin University, the telephone rings. Joan picks up the receiver and, after a moment of awkward, silent breathing, the man on the other end asks for a "Mrs. Fire." Joan tells him she is not her and hangs up. She tells her husband for whom the man had asked and he reminds her that she told a Mrs. Thayer just the other day that she was looking to let her room. The...