Madame Ratignolle visits Edna in the pigeon house and warns her of gossip concerning her relationship with Arobin. Later that day, Edna is waiting in Mademoiselle Reisz’s apartment for Reisz to return when Robert appears. Both are shocked to see each other, and Edna is hurt that he has been back in New Orleans for two days and has not sought her out. Robert walks Edna home, and is shocked to find a photograph of Arobin among her sketches. She explains that she had been using the photo to sketch Arobin’s portrait.
After telling her his thoughts and feelings while in Mexico, he feels she is mocking him and pronounces her cruel. They sit in silence until dinner is ready.
In Chapter XXXIV, Edna and Robert eat a simple dinner, keeping the conversation away from the emotional underpinnings of their relationship. Edna is jealous when she discovers that his tobacco pouch was a gift from a young woman in Vera Cruz. Arobin arrives and by chance comments on the remarkable beauty of Vera Cruz women. Robert leaves and Arobin lingers to read the paper and smoke a cigar. Edna sends him away and reviews the last few hours with Robert, disappointed overall.
Chapter XXXV shows Edna the next morning full of hope, feeling that she and Robert can overcome any obstacles to their love. When Robert does not visit her that day, however, she despairs, a pattern that repeats itself for days as he continues to stay away from her. Yet she avoids places where she might see him, to avoid disappointment. Her affair with Arobin continues.
