Elasticity Summary

The next morning, Mark goes back to Belbury by train, and almost immediately he mentions the report he is working on with Cosser to Mr. Steele. Mr. Steele is the head of Cosser's department, and presumably Mark is to be a member of this department as well. It soon becomes clear to Mark that Steele knew nothing of this report, and is angry at the prospect of the two working on this without his knowledge.

Because of this negative interaction with Mr. Steele, Mark decides to go to the Deputy Director, Mr. Wither, and nail down exactly what his job is to be. He goes to Wither's office, barges in and finds him in the middle of a meeting with someone else. As a result of this, Mark is forced to make an appointment with Wither's secretary for the following day.

While leaving...