- The same winter as the shut-up-kick-under-the-table incident, Cohn travels to America and has a book published. After winning a few hands of bridge, having a few women speak to him and the whole book thing, Cohn is a changed man. Basically, he’s full of himself and not as into Frances. Women, beware! Who knows what a few successful hands of bridge could do to your love interest…
- Jake partially blames Cohn’s change of character on a novel he recently read, W.H. Hudson’s The Purple Land. Apparently it inspired Cohn to yearn for a romantic new life.
- Cohn interrupts Jake at work (we learn that Jake, like Hemingway, is a newspaper man) and begs him to come on a trip to South America. Jake says he’s not interested—after all, Paris is great.
- Cohn disagrees—he hates Paris. Notice that almost every other character in the novel at some point has at least one conversation identical to this one with another expatriate living in Paris. More witty banter between Cohn and Jake ensues. Cohn looks pitiful.
- Although it’s the middle of the workday, Cohn and Jake go for a drink. Jake thinks he’ll be able to ditch Cohn after having a drink, but he can’t.
- Jake, Cohn in tow, returns to his office at the newspaper. Cohn falls asleep, and Jake awakens him in the middle of a troubled dream. Cohn admits that he hasn’t been able to sleep lately. We wonder why…