Summary

As summer continues, Malgudi becomes hotter and hotter. The Courts are closed for a week, and Father sits at home, much to Swami’s displeasure. One day, Swami goes out and his father stops him, catching him lying at having been out frequently and chastising him for going out too much in heat and fooling around, with Swami’s mother joining him. Swami’s father forces him to stay in and read and study. Father also gets annoyed at Swami for letting his books get dusty and spider-covered. Swami saves a spider to keep as a pet, and tries to elicit sympathy for his predicament with his father from Granny and his mother, to no avail. Father gives Swami a math problem, and Swami gets caught up in the details of the hypothetical exchange, rather than the actual...