Summary

The action is continuous, as Bella and Christopher continue their conversation in Bella’s apartment.

Bella asks Christopher to describe the appearance of the girl in the library (Evelyn), and he says he is “pretty … in the same way that horses are pretty,” which leads Bella to quip “pretty enough to ride” (40). Christopher suggests that the girl is pretty enough to put in a fall painting.

Bella hands him wine in a coffee mug, and keeps some for herself.

Bella then tells the audience that Christopher told her he read her novel and short story collections, having tracked them down through an independent bookstore. He comments that he loved her book, calling her “Professor Baird” (42). She tells him to call her Bella, and then comments to the audience that “it feels as if a warm stone has been dislodged in [her] throat” (42). Christopher...