Chapter 8 Summary

It is 4 p.m. by the time Tom checks into the Miramare. He hears some boys insolently cackling in Italian outside and imagines they are making unflattering remarks about him. Tom is violently sick to his stomach, then falls asleep. At 5:30 he awakes, and automatically looks out of the window at Dickie's house. He catches a glimpse of Dickie and Marge walking towards the pier. Marge is wearing a skirt and blouse instead of her bathing suit, and Tom wonders if she keeps clothes at Dickie's house. The two are going sailing, and Tom realizes it is an average day for them. Painting and writing in the morning, a late lunch, a siesta, and then sailing in the evening. Tom envies their leisurely life with plenty of money for side trips. He can certainly understand why Dickie would not want to return to...