Summary

Arthur has begun receiving invitations to speak, and he is struck by how it is the middle class, not the lower or upper classes, that are concerned with marrying for love. He meets a woman named Mabel who likes him even though he has always seen marriage as a bleak prospect. One day the Daily Telegraph’s editor tells him that they are searching to send someone on an archeological excavation. Arthur applies and gets the opportunity to go to the River Tigris. Mabel’s father believes that Arthur will be successful and prods Arthur to propose to Mabel. The two go on a boat ride, and Mabel kisses Arthur. He does not know if he can be a good husband, but he is drawn to the idea of “a stable home life, a sense of belonging” (248).

Arthur goes to visit his...