Summary

Chapter 13 is told from the perspective of the painting which is horrified at the prospect of being cleaned because it had seen other paintings destroyed by vigorous restoration efforts. The painting tells about the afternoon that Jesse and Annie had taken the painting to Jesse's father's former colleague, Agatha, to discuss the restoration of the painting. Agatha states that since the painting has been relined several times, it clearly was valuable or sentimental. Agatha is able to determine that a white smudge in the corner is actually the figure of a clown named Pierrot who was a performer in the late 16th century and portrayed innocence. It's possible that the clown was painted in by the painter to show the futility or cruelty of love. Agatha takes a closer look at the painting and feels that it is an important work and she...