Section 3 (page 59 to page 95) Summary

The most reliable way to get an exit visa is on grounds of ill health. Utz obtains a note from his doctor, prescribing the spa at Vichy. He takes leave of Marta the night before, not telling her his plans but inviting her to be the guest at the dinner she has just prepared for two. Marta is devoted to Utz; she entered his service when he rescued her from a mob. She is the only person Utz both trusts and can use. The customs men frisk Utz at the frontier, taking his small change, the picnic Marta prepared and The Magic Mountain he brought to read on the train. He shares the compartment with a young couple. The woman is pregnant, with unshaved legs and blond hair with dark roots. The boy is as disgusted with...