- Frank's now nine years old and life continues as it has before: Malachy Sr. drinks away the dole money, Angela tries to feed her family, and the boys put up with their father's alcoholic antics.
- Frank's friend Mickey Spellacy asks him to pray that his sister Brenda, sick with consumption, won't die until September when school begins so that he can get a few weeks off school.
- In return, he promises he'll invite the boys to Brenda's wake for food and sweets.
- It seems the boys' prayer worked since Brenda ends up dying the second day of school. But, when the boys go to the wake, Mickey says he never invited them and they aren't let in.
- Grandma Sheehan tells Angela that Frank could be making a few extra pennies if he were to help his Uncle Pat selling papers.
- Frank meets Mr. Timoney, one of Uncle Pat's customers, who offers him sixpence if Frank will read him the paper.
- Mr. Timoney has Frank read him Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal.
- Angela's real happy that Frank is bringing in money and gives him some change so that he can go to the movies.
- Everything seems to be going really well until Uncle Pat fires Frank (apparently he can get a boy who'll work for half the price) and Mr. Timoney's taken to a nursing home.
- In July, the McCourts welcome a new addition to their nest, Alphonsus Joseph.
- Malachy Sr. offers to cash the five pounds his father sent the baby, but instead of coming back with the money he spends it drinking in the pub.
- Angela sends Frank to find his father, but Frank never finds him. He realizes that "a man that drinks the money for a new baby is gone beyond the beyonds" (7.172).