Chapter 15 Summary

Tom/ Dickie visits the museums in Rome, and takes 6 Italian lessons from an old man. Tom judges his Italian is as good as Dickie's, and resolves not to study it any more. He buys a few minor items to embellish the apartment, although he intends to never ask anyone up. He does invite one attractive but not very smart young American he met at Cafy Greco up for a drink, just to impress him for an hour. Tom intends to never see the young man again, who is leaving for Munich the following day.

As Dickie, Tom studiously avoids the American residents of Rome. He has a long conversation with a painter named Carlino he met in a tavern, describing Dickie's imaginary painting tutor, Di Massimo, vividly. Should the police ever have occasion to question the fellow, he will be able to swear...