Kennicott returns home. Carol discovers that Sam Clark and Champ Perry are very affectionate. She meets Guy Pollock at the Bon Ton stores and invites him for a game of cribbage. Raymie sells her a pair of patent leather slippers because he feels they are elegant enough to be worn by Carol. Guy Pollock calls on the Kennicotts and plays cribbage and Carol feels very happy.

She puts her determination to make Kennicott read poetry into action. She urges him to listen to her and starts with the poems of Yeats. Kennicott finds it difficult to follow. She then reads Tennyson and finds that Kennicott is unable to relish even that. She reads out a poem by Kipling and finds Kennicott taping his feet enthusiastically. When he remarks that her reading of poetry is as good as Ella StowbodyÂ’s recital she gives up on educating him and prefers to go to the movies with him. She laughs at the antics of the jester and feels sorry for herself for being so tickled. She attends the bridge party of the Jolly Seventeen and plays bridge much to the satisfaction of the ladies. She restrains herself from expressing opinions but takes care to mouth only the accepted ideas. She feels uncomfortable when the ladies start exchanging intimate details about their husbands. When she is expected to pass on some details she deliberately talks about KennicottÂ’s medical ideas till they get bored. They feel glad that Carol has given up her highbrow ideas. Carol expresses her desire to host a party. Juanita Haydock, the president allots her the seventeenth of March and waxes eloquent about how wonderful the members of the Jolly Seventeen are. She also asserts that Gopher Prairie is superior to all other neighboring towns.

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