Tender is the Night Book One, Chapter Nineteen Summary

  • Abe is alone waiting for his boat. He is shaky and a mess, but soon Nicole shows up.
  • They reminisce and then Abe gets surly, saying that being with the Divers is no fun anymore.
  • She wants to know why he seems to have lost all hope. He says he must just be bored.
  • He’s feeling terrible. She’s awkwardly looking forward.
  • Until now, Abe was Nicole’s favorite, next to Dick.
  • They argue lightly and then Nicole sees a woman she knows and goes to talk to her.
  • The woman gives her the brush off, but Nicole feels better anyway, and she calls out to Mary and Rosemary when she sees them.
  • They all understand the gravity of Abe’s situation; they see that he is near suicidal now.
  • When Dick comes the women are grateful for the distraction and cling to him.
  • Then Nicole hears a commotion and alerts the others. The lady she was talking to before, Maria Wallis, has shot an English guy.
  • Dick wants to go to the station to help her; Nicole wants him to call her sister.
  • Nicole prevails and when she goes off to call, Rosemary and Dick feel their love again.
  • But when Rosemary compares him to her mother (again) he gets irked and wants to have her to himself. But he knows this is no good, and knows that he was probably going to have to lose her.
  • Nicole returned, having reached Maria’s sister, and both women want Dick badly. Dick is a bit messed up because he realizes how strongly he feels for Rosemary.
  • And then they leave, knowing that the Paris party tour is about to roll to a close.