Summary

It is now late September and the hot summer has given way to a cool, damp fall. Zora, eager for the new school year, has a firm self-improvement plan in place. She does not “feel the part,” and so she “dresses it instead” (129). She heads to school early and goes for a swim. While she is in the pool, someone in another lane takes her goggles. It turns out to be Carl, who recognizes her from the Mozart concert. Zora does not want to talk to him at first, but he persists. When their conversation becomes stilted, Zora suddenly wishes he found her interesting.

In Part 2, Chapter 2, Howard is preparing for his first class of the year. He views the occasion as “dispiritng” (141). His assistant, Smith J. Miller, is excited about the first day, though Howard assures him that the...