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The narrator returns to descriptions of the flowerbed, where a snail is crawling on the ground. Its purposeful movement is contrasted with that of the angular movement of a green insect whose antennae tremble with indecision. The different elements of the garden pose obstacles to the snail, and, as it determines how to overcome these obstacles, two new characters enter the scene.
The narrator introduces the two men, one young and the other old. The young man, William, is calm and has a steady gaze as he listens to the old man. The old man, in contrast, speaks irregularly and “almost incessantly.” He is very animated, with nervous, “irresolute and pointless” hand and body gestures. He smiles to himself and speaks of communicating with the spirits of the deceased, suggesting concerns with the devastations of World War I.
According to the old man, the spirits reveal unusual details about heaven, although he never explains what those details might be. He makes a cryptic statement that connects ancient beliefs with contemporary events and talks about a machine that could help conduct séances for widows.
The old man notices a woman who seems to be wearing a purple or black dress, as a widow might wear, and he rushes toward her, making eccentric gestures. William distracts him by catching his sleeve and directing his attention toward a flower. The old man presses his ear close to the flower, as if listening, and he seems to answer a voice speaking from within it. The flower triggers a memory or perhaps a fantasy, and he talks of visiting the forests of Uruguay “hundreds of years ago” with a beautiful young woman. During this discussion, the younger, stoic William reveals no emotions.
Two elderly, lower middle-class women approach. One is “stout and ponderous,” while the other is “rosy cheeked and nimble.” Both are fascinated by the old man’s eccentric behavior. They wonder if the man is merely strange or genuinely insane, as he looks “well-to-do.” The two men walk into the distance, and the women resume their conversation. The narrator reports only an outline of what they say, which seems to be little more than a summary of everyday banter including names, familial terms, and grocery items, primarily sugar.
The “ponderous” woman becomes distracted by the flowers and quits listening to her companion altogether. Her expression is described as that of a person waking from deep sleep. She is so enthralled with the beauty of the flowers that she asks the other woman to find a place to sit and have tea while staring at the flowers.
