Chapters XIII and XIV Summary

In chapter thirteen, in Philadelphia, Jake drags Ray out to go to a party on Fifteenth Street. At the house, Jake meets an attractive middle-aged woman at the door, his friend Madame Laura. Ray finds the house amusing, because it looks like a respectable social gathering. Men are playing cards and a few couples are flirting on couches, while a man plays piano. Madame Laura opens up some champagne for Jake, Ray, herself and another woman sitting there.

Ray gets upset when Madame Laura's young son comes out and gets a bit of champagne. A song about a merry cherry is being played on the piano. A girl approaches Ray and asks him to dance. Instead, Ray ends up buying her and another woman a glass of a wine called Virginia Dare. The piano seems to be...