Chapter 2 Summary

Quentin goes back over the facts he has learned so far. He thinks about Sutpen's arrival in Jefferson, which was only a small town at that time. His appearance had been rough, and haggard, as though he had recently recovered from some kind of illness. Nobody approached him to ask where he came from, so nobody knew that he had brought with him all that he owned, the clothes on his back, a smart suit in a bag, his guns and his horse.

On the third day after his arrival, he performed a stunt with his horse and guns, which seemed to keep any other enquirers at bay. He lived in the town guesthouse, and rode away each day on unknown business. Sutpen turns out to be riding to a secret cache of Spanish gold, which he used to buy a patent, and...