The End of the Affair: Book 2, Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Bendrix writes that he believed he could “detect in Parkis’s […] report a genuine enthusiasm for the devil’s game.” Parkis reports that he has discovered that Sarah spends much of her time—sometimes secretly—at a private residence on Cedar Road. Parkis promises to discover which flat she is spending time shortly but notes that there’s not any proof that Sarah is doing anything wrong on Cedar Road. Bendrix thinks about how discovering that Sarah is making surreptitious visits somewhere feels like the “orgasm of [his] hatred.” In its wake is a “period[] of calm” in which Bendrix finds he feels bad for Sarah—she has, after all, “committed nothing but love.” Bendrix claims that he would have dropped the case right then, but then he sees Henry’s face in the paper and is overcome by hatred again—he writes Henry a letter saying he has something important to share.

Henry and Bendrix meet up for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Henry is clearly ill at ease while he eats and becomes evasive when Bendrix asks him, “How’s Sarah?” Bendrix asks Henry if he ever consulted a detective after the night Henry told him that he was worried about Sarah. Henry tries to change the subject, but Bendrix abruptly tells him that he has seen a detective. Henry becomes mad, says Bendrix had “no right,” and tries to leave, but Bendrix prevents him. He tells Henry that the detective has found a love letter, but when Bendrix hands him the report Henry throws it in the fire. Bendrix tells Henry that he hasn’t “got rid of the facts” as Henry storms out of the building.