He, the early riser, and she, the early worker, meet only for a kiss goodbye. It’s raining. The great ship sinks slowly but surely. The men do their work, the kind of work where there is no room for haste and only one mistake is made. In such a life, the last cigarette is part of an unbroken chain. Temake, the night dentist, falls asleep and dreams that he will not. It is raining. The evening kiss of farewell approaches.