Summary

One weekend in Brighton, Tom asked Serena to read his short novel. She read it and noticed only slight alterations from the draft she had read. She spoke of the novel’s coldness over the fate of father and daughter. Although she meant her words as criticism, he took them as positive feedback. He finished a final draft and asked Serena to accompany him to his editor in London when he turned it in. Serena had to go home for Christmas which Tom completely understood. He submitted “Probable Adultery” to Ian but he rejected it but he did like another story he wrote about an ape. Before she left for Christmas break, they delivered the novel to Maschler.

Before they parted for the holidays, Tom told Serena that his future was in academics and teaching. Writing fiction wasn’t for him. He planned to...