In London, Jacob is invited to dinner with the elderly Countess Lucy of Rocksbier. The old woman’s manner does not impress Jacob, but he appreciates her taste in wine. In Essex, he joins a fox hunt. Jacob is thrown from his horse during the hunt; by the time he remounts, the other riders are too far away. Later, he is sipping tea in an inn when they arrive. They congratulate each other on a fruitful hunt, but Jacob abandons them. He feels more comfortable in the back of the bar, smoking with the “rustics” (100).

Occasionally, Jacob visits Bonamy’s house to engage in intellectual debates. In the background, Bonamy’s maid washes the dishes and thinks about Jacob, whom she mistakenly refers to as “Mr. Sanders” (101). She serves breakfast to the two men, by which time their debate is so intense that they have knocked over the coffee pot. The pot is broken. In London, Betty Flanders’s elderly friends meet. They chat about life in the north, with Jacob speaking about his family’s experiences in Scarborough.

At the British Museum, many people use the reading room to research. They quietly read and take notes. Jacob copies out poems from the library’s books. As he writes, he studies other people and their unique habits. They do not notice him talking to his friend. As the library prepares to close, Jacob must wait for his walking stick. Outside, rain falls. He walks home, even though he has no umbrella. 

At home, Jacob sits by himself with a book and his pipe. Most people of his age, both men and women, spend their free time by getting together and talking. In large groups, their conversations become the foundations of their friendships. Jacob attends such meetings with pleasure; he often feels well-inclined to others as he walks home alone. They watch him from afar, but never quite know who Jacob really is. When he sleeps, life in London does not stop.

While sitting in his room, Jacob thinks about a chess problem. Outside, the world continues as normal. Fanny Elmer, a performer, passes between the “white tombs” (113) of a cemetery, past Jacob’s building, as she visits Nick Bramham, a painter. Fanny models for Bramham. While he paints her, he smokes. Though she does not normally seem “beautiful” (115), he considers her to be so from certain angles. Once he is finished with the charcoal drawing, however, he dislikes his work. Fanny is preparing to leave his studio as Jacob exits his building.

Passing Fanny and Bramham, Jacob is suddenly “very awkward” (116). While he smokes his pipe, a singer entertains from a stage. Fanny studies Jacob carefully. When she stands to take to the stage, she drops a glove. Jacob returns her glove; they share a moment of intimacy.

On an unexpectedly warm February day, Fanny takes a stroll in a park. She forgets her umbrella in a busy café. A woman, noticing the forgotten umbrella, tries (and fails) to return it to Fanny. Fanny heads to Bramham’s studio, but she lingers a little too long on the street, so she is late. She had hoped to meet Jacob. In the studio, she argues with Bramham and then runs away.

In April, Fanny visits Evelina’s dress shop, then wanders through the streets of London. As she walks, she regrets how few books she has read. Unlike Jacob, Bramham does not like to talk about politics or the situation in Ireland. Remembering Jacob mentioning a specific book, Tom Jones, she buys a copy. Taking it home, she sits alone in her room and tries to read the book. Though the book does little for her, she knows that “good people like it” (121). Fanny plans to lie to Jacob: She will tell him that she liked the book. 

In contrast, Clara Durrant never lies. She lives in London now and she has a job in a tearoom. Of all women, Jacob “[honors] her most” (122), but he rarely says anything to her. Instead, he listens to Fanny talk about the book. Fanny invites Jacob to a dance and he declines, expecting that he will be in Paris by that time. He is travelling to Greece. Fanny is worried that Jacob will forget her on his travels.