Reta finally meets Arthur Springer when he arrives at her home on January nineteenth. He tells her that it is an honor to be greeted so warmly and he praises her lovely home, the beautiful scenery, the rose light of the late afternoon. He never stops speaking and, as usual, Reta has difficulty carrying on a conversation with him. However, they soon begin to discuss her novel.
Arthur is impressed with the three hundred pages of her manuscript. However, he notes that the most important chapter has not been finished: the last chapter. He tries to suggest to Reta how the story of Alicia and Roman should end, telling her "I think of the final chapter as the kiln . . . the clay is still malleable, but the ending will harden your words.....
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