Summary

In "Bureaucracy," Chapter 20, though Sidi did not like accepting help, he agreed to let the villagers watch his hives. He knew the "hornets were everybody's business" (114). Sidi left for the capital with the captured hornet. When he arrived, he found the city greatly changed. The streets were filthy and the people looked depressed. All of the bookstores and libraries were gone. Sitting in Ibn Khaldun square, he realized he would have to ask for help again.

In Chapter 21, Sidi visited his niece, Jannet. Though the two did not often see one another, Sidi had helped Jannet as a child. He now needed her help. He told her about the hornets, and his desire to read about them. She said they could visit her husband, Tahar, at the College of Arts and Sciences.

In Chapter 22, while Tahar waited for Sidi and Jannet to arrive, he...