mystery-and-revelation

In this chapter, Lewis and Hardwicke discuss the mysterious inscription on a tombstone, which defies all known languages and symbols except for the infinity symbol. They also explore the enigmatic figure of Wallace, a man who seems out of place and time, carrying a rifle yet never using it, and who inspires a complex mixture of fear, familiarity, and shame among his neighbors. The chapter ends with Hardwicke's shocked reaction to photographs of a grave beneath the inscrutable headstone, deepening the mystery.