Summary

A depression had settled over the Service. There was union strife and unrest in the city. The Prime Minister called a special election. The Leader of the Opposition was showing signs of mental illness. Serena wouldn’t be going to Brighton that weekend. He was in Cambridge and then would go on to interview her sister. Tom sent Serena a letter. His reading at Cambridge hadn’t gone well. He was upstaged by the other reader whose material contained some humorous passages. Tom went last and some people left during his reading. She had to meet with Max because Nutting wanted an update on Sweet Tooth. Max tried to get her to talk about her personal relationship with Tom, but she refused. She boasted about what a great novella he had written. Max said it sounded like something Nutting would not like. He became...