Ba-Ba, Stephen’s father, has arrived unexpectedly from Kobe the day before, surprising Stephen and Matsu at the house. Ba-Ba appraises Stephen’s recovery as Stephen revels in having someone with whom to talk. As they eat dinner and Ba-Ba drinks sake, Stephen confides in his father that he is lonely. Ba-Ba reassures him. Stephen is struck by how close he feels to his father in Tarumi without the distractions of family and business. He wonders if his father has the same feeling, “as if the world were concentrated into just these small rooms” (20).

Stephen and his father visit the beach together. Stephen swims and learns that his father is a non-swimmer. In this relaxed atmosphere, Stephen thinks of his father in a new way – almost as an acquaintance – and feels loneliness hovering when he remembers that soon he will return to his business in Kobe.

When Stephen asks about the situation in Shanghai, his father fills him in on the destruction moving south – bombing and fires – and speculates that the Japanese may reach Hong Kong.

Stephen then inquires about Matsu as a younger person;

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