It turns out that Muhammad’s eagerness to leave Granada was because Hamid had arranged for Warda’s escape from her village and her reunion with Muhammad. As narrator, Hasan addresses his son, urging him to be forgiving of others’ faults like Muhammad’s passion for Warda. Hasan even expresses the hope that his son will find some pleasure in his own mistakes as he grows into an adult.

Hasan and his family arrive at the Moroccan port of Melilla. On the road, they are ambushed and robbed by bandits while the muleteer flees. When they are rescued by a group of soldiers, they tell Muhammad that the muleteer has been deliberately leading travelers into the ambushes, and many exiles from Granada have fallen prey to the trap.

In Fez, they seek out Khali, who demands that Muhammad leave Warda since Muhammad’s fixation on Warda dishonors not only their family, but also the entire Granadan émigré community. Muhammad refuses and is forced to stay at one of the nicer and more respectable hostelries in the city. The owner of the hostelry finds a house for them, but it is a step down from the luxury the family knew in Granada.