Chapters 17 and 18 Summary

Chapter 17 - Si returns to the past, and immediately feels comfortable in 1882 New York. He feels less comfortable about returning to 19 Gramercy Park and the possibility of renewed conflict with Jake. He is therefore surprised when he arrives at the boarding house and is greeted joyfully by all the tenants including Jake, and is invited to join a sleigh ride. Following a joyful, playful ride through the streets, which are filled with other sleigh-riders, the party returns to 19 Gramercy, where Jake tells Si that he and Julia have set the date for their wedding. Si manages to conceal his negative reaction, offers his congratulations, and then goes off on his own to think.

He walks for a while, rides a bus for a while, and then rides on top of the bus with the driver. The driver talks at length about...