In the evening, the gas lamps in the general store tinted the dusky night with orange. Jenny stood in a crowded shop picking out items. She deliberately gave Frank and Cowens some time, dawdling by the newspaper and book rack for a while before finishing her shopping. After a while, Jenny tucked a newspaper under her arm and returned to the restaurant across the street.
Cowens and Frank seemed to have finished their talk and ordered food. When they saw Jenny come back, they waved her over. Jenny sat down, ate a plate of sauerkraut and German sausages, and chatted casually with Cowens as if nothing was wrong.
After the meal, Cowens said he had something to do and left first. Jenny turned her head, watched Cowens to the door, then looked at Frank. "What's wrong with him? His expression was so terrible; anyone could see he was in trouble." Frank didn't tell Jenny the truth, just shook his head. "It's nothing good, anyway." Frank paid the bill, wiped his mouth with a white napkin, and didn't seem eager to leave. Instead, he asked Jenny if she had finished editing the fairy tale collection. "Not yet," Jenny said. She could see Frank wanted to keep Cowens's secret, so she didn't press further. "About a third left. By the way, do you know any good neighborhoods around here to live in?" "Are you moving out of the dorm?" Frank started drinking the rest of his beer. "Not me." Jenny, with a look of misfortune, told Frank about her mother coming to visit her in New York. She explained everything: how she had run away to New York in a fit of pique, stayed at her uncle's for half a month, even mentioned the lunatic she met while working in the printing department, and finally explained why her mother was coming. Frank thought for a moment and told her about a nearby street where most buildings were government offices' dormitories or private rentals, safe enough. Jenny noted the location.
"So why did you insist on coming to the editorial department? Wouldn't the distribution department have made you more money?" Frank hadn't forgotten how Jenny barged into the magazine department asking for an interview. "Because I love reading," Jenny said honestly. Frank was a bit taken aback. Years ago, that was why he chose to teach instead of inheriting his father's business, but now he ended up in the editorial department. Still, he didn't want to dampen Jenny's enthusiasm. He nodded. "I see."
After dinner, they were about to leave the restaurant. Frank planned to walk Jenny to the dorm before heading back. But as soon as they stepped outside, Jenny stopped short. "Jenny? What are you doing here?" A strange man appeared before them. Frank turned to see Jenny's expression sour; she clearly disliked the man. Jenny didn't want to exchange a single word with that troublesome John. She grabbed Frank to leave. Seeing how familiar Jenny seemed with this man—the way he'd gently supported her arm as they walked out—John felt they were definitely involved. He blocked their way and scrutinized Frank, assuming he was Jenny's new sugar daddy. John sneered at Frank. "Sir, you must be her new patron? Let me warn you, she's not a good person..." John insulted Jenny from start to finish, implying she would suck Frank dry and then climb higher. Jenny found John tedious. She ignored him and said to Frank, "He's John, the mechanic from the printing department. His uncle is the foreman." Frank understood and dismissed John as someone who wanted to destroy what he couldn't have. He had things to do and tried to walk around John with Jenny.
Feeling disrespected, John blocked them again, determined to expose Jenny's true nature. In the scuffle, Jenny bumped into his arm. Frank immediately grabbed John by the collar and pinned him against the restaurant's outer wall. He knew the type—bullies who feared tough guys—and gave him a stern warning. Jenny didn't hear what Frank said, but after he let go, John stumbled back and left in a huff. Jenny sighed. "It's trouble being good-looking, and I'm sorry you had to waste words on him." Frank found it odd that she wasn't angry after being slandered, only apologized. He felt a pang in his heart. "It's okay. He'll avoid you from now on." Jenny shrugged, then noticed Frank's knuckles were scraped by the rough wall. "You're bleeding. Do you have iodine?" Frank glanced at his hand, thought nothing of it, but when he looked up and met Jenny's concerned eyes, he felt her worry. He'd always been the steady, responsible child, never been in fights, so no one had ever cared for such a small thing. He knew he had iodine at home, but he lied. "No." "Let's go to the pharmacy next door. Scrapes need disinfecting." She dragged him there, cleaned the wound, and then said goodbye.
The next morning, Jenny arrived at the office early, intending to get some personal work done. The office was nearly empty, only a few colleagues lined up at the sign-in desk. Jenny overheard them gossiping. "...Who do you think left that complaint letter?" Her heart tightened, fearing it involved Cowens and Frank. But then she relaxed as she heard, "...Mr. Sharpe is in for it." Curious, Jenny asked the colleague in front what happened. The man lowered his voice: Last night, someone slipped a complaint letter under the partner's office door, accusing Mr. Sharpe of taking bribes from a prose writer—thousands of dollars. The writer had just been scandalized for plagiarism. Mr. Sharpe was about to cut ties, but after bribes, he defended him, labeling the scandal as rumor. This morning, the acting partner arrived early, found the letter, and summoned everyone involved. Several bosses in the magazine department were dragged from sleep; especially Mr. Alpha nearly fainted. They were now in the partner's office for questioning. The news spread through the department. Jenny was shocked that unremarkable Mr. Sharpe had taken so much in bribes.
Suddenly, Frank walked in with dark circles under his eyes. He'd been woken up early too. Seeing a crowd at the sign-in desk gossiping, he frowned. "What are you all blocking the way for? Mind your own work." He gave Jenny a helpless look. Jenny knew this was serious. She clocked in and went to the reception room downstairs.
Monique, Mr. Sharpe's clerk, arrived late. She plopped down next to Jenny and whispered, "It's over, it's really over. Mr. Sharpe is probably losing his job... How could he be so unlucky? A new boss just came, and someone stabs him in the back." "Who do you think did it?" Jenny asked. Monique thought: their team had no heavy responsibilities, everyone got along; she hadn't heard of any conflict. "No idea. I just hope it doesn't affect my job." "It won't. The weekly is so busy; they can't lose clerks even if they lose editors." Jenny comforted Monique and offered to treat her to dinner to cheer her up, then went back to work.
In the afternoon, after finishing their tasks, they went upstairs to the office. Jenny saw Mr. Eliot and Mr. Clare being called into Mr. Alpha's office. William told her that the acting partner had decided on the punishment for Sharpe. After Baker pleaded, the boss, considering Sharpe's age, wouldn't sue or demand the bribe back—just fire him for violating company rules. But he warned: if anyone in the editorial department makes the same mistake again, not only the culprit but also their superiors would be punished. Most of those superiors had worked at Dawling for decades, always looking down on others, enjoying respect in the industry. Being fired halfway would lose their halo and bring public criticism. Jenny looked toward Mr. Alpha's office, where a crowd stood. She asked William what was happening. He shook his head. "Fujena went in first. Then Mr. Alpha called Frank and Cowens, and sent for Mr. Eliot."