Chapter 2 Summary

Michael wakes up the next morning and feels bad for what he has done. He also feels upset that Susan went with the sailor instead of recognizing that he was drunk and did not mean what he said. After some thought, he realizes that Susan is so simpleminded, that she would consider the sale binding.

Michael decides to try to find Susan and Elizabeth-Jane, but first he visits a church and swears that he will quit drinking for 21 years (a period equal to his age). He searches the surrounding countryside for any sign of his wife and child, and when he is unsuccessful he decides to use the five pounds that Newson paid him to help pay for his expenses during the search. After several months, he reaches a seaport and learns that a group resembling Susan, Elizabeth-Jane and Newson had recently left...