The Beast in the Jungle

John Marcher joins friends for lunch at Weatherend House. While exploring the house after lunch, Marcher stumbles upon May Bartram. She strikes him as being familiar. When May approaches, Marcher’s memory is awakened, and he recalls meeting her in Rome eight years earlier. May informs Marcher that he misremembered their meeting: They met in Naples 10 years ago. Marcher enjoys May’s corrections but feels disappointed as they exhaust topics from their past encounter, which occurred when May was 20 and he was 25.

Despite their limited acquaintance, Marcher desires a deeper connection and fantasizes about a more interesting, romantic connection than the one they actually had. May interrupts this reverie by bringing up a conversation they had in Sorrento. She asks Marcher if “it” has ever happened. Marcher understands what she is referring to and is surprised that he told her about “it.” Nevertheless, he finds comfort in the fact that he is no longer alone in bearing the burden of his secret.

Marcher presses May for details about their Sorrento conversation. She recounts how he explained his belief that some great or awful destiny awaited him—a belief he had held since childhood. May assumes his reply indicates this fate has yet to materialize, which Marcher confirms.