In which the narrator reflects upon the awkward and uneasy relations between himself, his brother Woloda, and the young women of their household, observing the gulf created by differing capacities for understanding and the shallow rites of social propriety he calls "comme il faut." Amidst these subtle social tensions, he finds solace in solitary youthful pursuits—music, novels, and the natural world—wherein the stirring of his first dreams and aspirations takes form beneath the quiet watch of moonlight and the gentle sounds of the country estate.