A Handful of Dust Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter Five, In Search of a City: Part One Summary

Chapter Five, In Search of a City: Part One Summary

Tony is traveling by boat, and as he stands on the deck, one of the passengers approaches him with small talk. When Tony gets tired of the uncomfortable exchange with the stranger, he leaves to get ready for dinner. At the dinner table Tony and a black archdeacon sit at the absent captain's table. The archdeacon tells Tony that his wife is in her cabin suffering from seasickness—the same as Tony's new partner, Dr. Messinger. After dinner, Tony runs into the passenger from the deck and his reference to Tony as "the explorer" makes Tony reflect on the events that led to this voyage. Tony's roster of trips throughout his life amounted roughly to three; one trip to France as a teenager, traveling Europe with a friend, and his honeymoon with Brenda on the Italian Riviera. He hadn't left England since his father's death and doesn't know what to expect...
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