Part 2: Chapter 44 Summary

The witch wanders through the shelves until she finds Mr. Halloway. She starts to talk to him, working a spell to slow down his heart and stop it. Mr. Halloway, in a daze and great pain, is tempted to give in and allow himself to die. Then he opens his eyes and really looks at the witch, giggling involuntarily. This seems to throw the witch off balance for a moment. He wonders why he is laughing at a time like this. Then he is struck full on by the basic absurdity of his life and how nothing really matters in the long run. He begins laughing loudly and for a long time at the spectacle of the witch tickling the air with her fingers as she works her spell. The witch acts as if the laughter is burning her and she...