 Grounded by a hurricane, and unwilling to spend any more time separated from Prudence, Steckler takes a train back to Washington, where he is forced to share a compartment with Benson (who incidentally takes a personal liking to him); this circumstance leads to a prompt misunderstanding with Prudence at the Washington railway station, who leaves him in a fury.In addition, Mandeville has drastically cut the time limit in favor of an immediate inquiry on this very day.In the meantime, Wychinsky, who has finally remembered what happened to the "Kornblatt", has followed Steckler back to Washington and encounters Prudence.