Summary

In August 1914, Mr. Murray’s health starts to decline. At his wife’s behest, he starts spending less time in the Scriptorium. Esme and Gareth meet for lunch when Gareth tells her of two men from the press who have died in the war. Gareth tells her about one of the boy’s mothers who came to the Press hysterical, and Mr. Hart had to calm her down.

Another day, Gareth and Esme meet for lunch. He tells her that a crumbled white feather had been tied to the Press’s door. People used this as a way to accuse someone of being too cowardly to enter the war. He does not believe that it was meant for him, but he feels pressure to enter the war. They go for a walk, and he hands her a slip he has written with...