- Franklin and Sadima talk about how hungry they are; Sadima doesn't mind so much, since she's used to it from growing up on a farm.
- What Sadima doesn't understand is why Somiss's father and the king feel so threatened by his research—wouldn't having the ability to use magic to heal people be a good thing? Franklin points out that if Somiss could actually do that, people would follow him and not the king.
- Franklin says that Somiss wants to accomplish great things, in part to win his father's love. Since Franklin's known Somiss since they were toddlers, it makes sense that Franklin would know this about him.
- Then Franklin invites Sadima to see what his secret job is: he's telling fortunes with Maude Truthteller. No wonder he wants to keep it a secret from Somiss, who thinks those people are just taking advantage of the gullible.
- Turns out Franklin can catch hints of people's thoughts, in what he calls "silent-speech" (kinda like telepathy). This makes Sadima nervous—since she thinks about Franklin a lot—so she leaves.