Will drives out to see Annie Kate, whose pregnancy is now in its final stages, and her mother. After paying them a cordial visit, he heads to a party at the St. Croix house, where Institute cadets are mingling with members of Charleston high society. Yet Will’s time there is disrupted by urgent news: Annie Kate is delivering the baby and her mother is too drunk to take her to the hospital. With the Bear’s permission to stay off campus, Will rushes to Annie Kate’s aid and drives her to the doctor who will deliver her child. The child, however, is born dead, strangled by its umbilical cord. After this unfortunate birth, Will attempts to re-connect with Annie Kate but finds her distant, determined to move on from her year in Charleston and set on going back to California. She departs and mails him a box of sand dollars, most of which are broken by the time they reach him.

Soon Will has new reasons to think about The Ten: Colonel Reynolds arranges to meet with Will, and admits that he did write about The Ten as part of his book. The chapter on The Ten disappeared and he suspects that members of The Ten confiscated this content.