Pages 9-54 Summary

The narrator is reflecting on the happy days of a love affair with Louise. The narrator compares this affair with those of the past, many with married women. The narrator also reflects on the reason why married women like to have affairs and how some relationships become boring. The narrator insists that this would not have happened with Louise, but unfortunately never had the time it would have taken to know for sure.

The narrator remembers a past love, Bathsheba, while reflecting on the reasons married women have affairs. Bathsheba brought out the worst in the narrator, while Louise brought out the best. The narrator reflects a large number of past affairs, but recalls how Louise said that the past no longer existed in their love. Despite this, the narrator tells Louise about some of his past loves, including Inge, a...