After finding a note from Frank asking her to come to the pub, Beth lingers at home in a restless, grief-stricken mood. Her recent contact with Leo has stirred memories of Bobby, and Beth reflects on how bereaved parents like her and Frank carefully avoid overwhelming each other with their shared sadness. Wanting distraction rather than solitude, Beth leaves for the Compasses Inn.

At the pub, Beth takes comfort in the familiar place and in seeing Frank and Jimmy waiting for her. The narration lingers on Frank’s warmth and on Beth’s sense that, despite everything, their marriage still contains real affection. Nina, Jimmy’s stylish longtime girlfriend, tends the bar with her usual authority, reinforcing the pub’s role as the village’s social center.

Frank quickly asks how Leo was and what Gabriel was like. Beth answers cautiously, describing Gabriel as changed and more mature, while Frank studies her response because he knows how deeply Gabriel once hurt her. Jimmy, fiercely loyal to Frank, dismisses Gabriel with contempt even though he barely knows him.

Helen, Beth’s closest friend, then quietly asks about Gabriel’s return. Beth and Helen share dark laughter over the absurdity that Gabriel came back only for his dog to be killed on the first afternoon. The moment leads into Beth’s memory of Helen’s steadfast care after Bobby died, when Helen kept visiting and helping long after the rest of the village fell silent around Beth and Frank’s loss.

When Helen mentions that her spaniel has had puppies and that one male puppy still needs a home, Beth impulsively says she will take him. Frank is amused by the lack of consultation and agrees a farm dog would be welcome. But Beth already has another purpose in mind: knowing how healing a puppy can be, she decides the dog should go to Leo, who needs comfort even more than she does.